No breakthrough in Thulamela gold theft
The cabinet was locked, no forced entry was visible, and the cabinet lock was also undamaged.
SKUKUZA – No arrests or noteworthy breakthroughs have yet been made into the investigation of the theft of the golden Thulamela artefacts. Their disappearance from display at the museum in the Skukuza library was reported in December.
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The artefacts comprise jewellery and gold coins dating back to the period 1250 and 1700. Their discovery, in 1996, made world news. The excavation was headed by Dr Maryna Steyn, Coen Nienaber and Marius Loots, researcher at the anatomy department at the University of Pretoria.
William Mabasa, spokesman for SANParks, confirmed that the theft occurred on December 14. Only the artefacts were stolen. The other items were left in the cabinet, untouched.
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Mabasa said the cabinet was locked, no forced entry was visible, and the cabinet lock was also undamaged. There was a strong suspicion that the theft was an inside job.
Spokesman for the Hawks in Mpumalanga, Capt Dineo Sekgotodi, said their investigations into the theft revealed that only one staff member had the key to the cabinet, but had not been in the area at the time.
“We have ruled out that it was a staff member,” she said. “At the moment we have no further leads as to who could have committed the crime.”
SANParks general manager, Thabo Kgomommu, said a private investigation into the theft was launched three weeks ago. “The team is currently working tirelessly to look at various possibilities and they are working with the Hawks.”
He said SANParks would be able to communicate progress once investigators submitted their report.
Loots told Lowvelder that the theft was a great loss. “I thought it would most likely happen as the artefacts were sent to a place with no controlled environment,” he added.
He said many dubious collectors anticipated these kind of situations and took advantage of it. “But in this country it could have just been opportunists who were just after the gold.”
