Update: Stolen chef back in safe hands
Stealing a statue after having a few drinks on a Sunday night might be funny at first, but the joke stopped when CCTV cameras caught the culprits in their tracks.
Stealing a statue after having a few drinks on a Sunday night might be funny at first, but the joke ended abruptly when CCTV cameras caught the culprits in the act.
The stolen chef statue has now been returned to its rightful place at The Bistro Restaurant at the Sonpark Shopping Centre after having being taken on a short road trip to Hazyview.
According to Sonpark Shopping Centre owner, Mr Kobus Jacobs, four young men returned the statue last night after heavy social media traffic disclosed their prank to the masses.
“They returned the statue within 48 hours of the incident and we discussed the conditions of their punishment. They agreed to pay for all the damages as well as an undisclosed fine.”
The partygoers also wrote a letter to Sonpark Centre Management in which they apologised for their behaviour and explained the reasoning behind their actions.
Apparently they wanted to leave the statue in different areas of the Lowveld and let the public guess where it was. This plan was however short-lived thanks to the CCTV footage.
“We appreciate the assistance of the public and community,” said Jacobs.
Previously: Party people kidnap chef statue, published 26 May 2015
The well-known chef statue in front of The Bistro Restaurant at Sonpark Shopping Centre has been stolen.
This incident occurred late Sunday evening on May 24, 2015 when a few male revellers who were presumably out partying at Upper Deck took the liberty of adding this item to their personal collection.
CCTV footage captures the men taking the statue and loading it into their bakkie. The last bit of footage shows the bakkie driving away from Sonpark centre.
According to administrator at Sonpark Shopping Centre, Ms Sylvia le Roux, J & M Security became aware of the theft on Monday morning as they realised that something had been amiss.
“The security supervisor contacted management and we then got hold of CCTV footage,” she said.
A reward of R500 will be given to the person who will assist in finding the guilty persons as well as returning the statue in good order.
Please contact Gené van Niekerk on 013-741-1160 or email:projects@sonpark.co.za
