Burglary at African Bank: Frustration mounts as police response delayed
They then called the Middelburg police and were allegedly told there were no vehicles at the police station.
Employees at African Bank on OR Tambo Street had to wait nearly two hours for the Middelburg police to respond to a burglary at the bank this morning.
Criminals broke into the bank last night, making off with laptops.
When employees arrived for work this morning, just before 08:00, they noticed a window was broken.
They then called the Middelburg police and were allegedly told there were no vehicles at the police station.
The operator reportedly told them there were only two vehicles at the station, and both of them were attending to other matters.
The workers then called the station commander, who said a vehicle would be dispatched.
The police station is located 700m from the bank.
A police vehicle passing by saw the break-in scene however, one officer said they don’t deal with break-ins and burglaries, they work in the drug unit, and, as such, they drove away.
As the Middelburg Observer journalists were leaving the scene at 09:08, a Middelburg SAPS Sector 4 vehicle with two police officers arrived on the scene.
• Yesterday, a man was caught red-handed on John Magagula Street at 04:50 by GSC Armed Response.
When the Middelburg Observer journalists arrived at the scene at around 11:00, the police had still not arrived.
ALSO READ: Alleged vandal caught stealing copper from mini substation
The suspect was eventually transported to the police station.
• In March, the provincial government received 74 new police vehicles.
ALSO READ: SAPS hands over new vehicles
The Nkangala District received 20 vehicles, however, surprisingly, the Middelburg Police Station didn’t get any.
The Mhluzi Detective Unit received only one vehicle.
• A media enquiry was forwarded to the Mpumalanga police regarding the vehicle shortage, but no comment was received before publication.
Do you have information on a news story you think we should cover?
Please send an email to our News Editor at daleen@mobserver.co.za or phone us on 072 248 3855.
To keep updated and informed on all the latest Middelburg news, visit our official social media pages:
Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X (Formerly Twitter), and YouTube.
