Rare flying machines targeted by crooks
The engines of two paramotoring gliders were stolen from a storeroom in the Cussonia Nature Reserve on the outskirts of Mbombela.
MBOMBELA – Eugene Cussons, the managing member of Nirvana Africa and a motorised paragliding instructor, confirmed that two machines, with an approximate value of almost R400 000, were taken.
The theft occurred last Monday, between 17:00 and 21:00, from a building next to the hangar located in close proximity, to the well-known tourist attraction Chimp Eden.
“My paramotor glider is one of only three in the world. I am issuing a R5 000 reward, as the replacement of this racing machine is very arduous,” Cussons said.
“The suspected thieves had broken the lock system and carried these machines through the reserve. They proceeded to cut a hole in the perimeter fence and also broke in at a house in the De Kaap Valley Nature Conservancy, adjacent to our land,” he explained.
Cussons gained notoriety as the former managing director of Chimp Eden, as well as being the host of Animal Planet’s Escape to Chimp Eden that premiered on February 8, 2008. On May 27, 2019 Lowvelder reported on Cussons competing in the toughest air race on earth, the Icarus X series, where he was able to take second place in his third Icarus race.
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It was established through a source in the police that one of the stolen engines belonged to Mpumalanga Leopard conservationist, Bryan Vermaak and that “it is a pity, because you could phone Cussons and Bryan at any time to assist in anti-poaching operations with their motorised paragliders”.
Callum McPherson, the armed response manager at Hi-Tech Security, stated that they had responded to the scene. “More than 12 hours lapsed before we were alerted to the scene at 08:00, the following morning. As the storeroom had no installed alarm system, we could not respond within our usual 15 minutes. The chances to retrieve goods after such a period is slim,” McPherson highlighted.
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The provincial police spokesperson, Brig Leonard Hlathi, confirmed that a case had been opened and that no arrests have yet been made.
“No other information has been forthcoming, but investigations into this matter are continuing as we speak,” Hlathi said reassuringly.
Cussons appealed to the Lowveld community to contact him with any information that might lead to the successful arrest and retrieval of the machinery stolen, on 082-850-6531, or Michael Horn on 071-029-8124.
