A car thief was arrested after he and his accomplice lost control of the 2 luxury cars they had just stolen, crashing during a high speed chase with security officers.

The 2 cars were stolen from former Mhlathuze mayor, Denny Moffatt’s home in Salt Rock on Thursday morning.

At around 3 am, at least two robbers were able to gain access to Moffatt’s home on Hugh Dent Drive, stealing a Range Rover and Mercedes-Benz GLA.

The robbers sped off on Salt Rock Road towards the N2 where a parked Marshall Security vehicle saw them speed past and gave chase based on their “suspicious driving”.

The vehicles sped south on the N2, losing control of the stolen vehicles near the Shaka’s Head offramp.

One of the men was arrested and was to appear in court today.

The other man escaped into the dense bush next to the highway.

This was the 4th vehicle theft in Salt Rock this month following two break-ins on Warren Road, with another on Hewitt Drive, said Moffatt.

The men were able to get into Moffatt’s home via a neighbouring property which is under construction.

They built a makeshift ladder out of cement blocks and climbed over the bordering wall, even though there was an electric fence in place.

“The guys must have been very nimble, because the electric fence has an alarm on it and they managed not to set it off,” he said.

Further home security was in place, with the entire outside area covered by beams and floodlights overnight.

The robbers were able to bypass the beams, however, likely by crawling under them once inside Moffatt’s property, he said.

After breaking a handle on an exterior window, the robbers were able to get inside the home where Moffatt and his wife were asleep.

They found a bowl full of keys and took it back over to the neighbouring property, stealing nothing else while inside the home.

“For them to be that calm, they must have done it before.

“I think they must have just gone out to the road and tried the remote until they figured out what worked,” he said.

Although Moffatt did hear a noise which he thinks may have been the robbers getting through the window, he brushed it off as a falling palm frond.

“It was 3am and I did not want to call our security company over and have to deal with a false alarm.

“In hindsight, always call someone if you suspect something.

“Rather be safe even if it is a pain.”

Though Moffatt has owned the Salt Rock home since 1985, this was the first break-in that he had experienced.

“Frankly I am a little bit rattled, I have not been able to sleep much since.

“I am just glad that our bedroom door was locked, even though they only seemed interested in the cars.”

Moffatt was quick to praise the Marshall Security team for their response, as well as Umhlali Saps officers for their help in opening a case at 4am.