EQUIPMENT to the value of R680 000 was stolen during an armed robbery at the Ekurhuleni Metro Parks Department depot in Spartan on the weekend.
The robbery took place on the evening of February 17, said Themba Gadebe, spokesman for the metro, when an unknown number of suspects held a security guard at gunpoint at the main gate.
After entering the premises, the suspects damaged storage cages and locks and also entered the men’s bathroom, breaking off taps and damaging lockers. The main gate’s motor and the electric fence were also damaged, Gadebe added.
The equipment taken included 36 brush cutters, 35 litter pickers, two plastic rakes and eight push lawn mowers.
When asked how the loss of equipment would influence the grass cutting programme in Kempton Park, Gadebe said the necessary machinery would be obtained from other depots.
“We will do our utmost best under the circumstances,” he said.
A claim has already been filed with an insurance company to expedite the replacement of the stolen equipment.
