Theft victim warns shoppers to be careful

Going about her normal grocery shopping, Ballito resident Shannon Botha had no idea her wallet had been taken out of her handbag until she reached the till.

After shopping for about 40 minutes at Checkers in the Ballito Bay Mall on Saturday afternoon, Botha realised her wallet was missing when she came to pay. She retraced her steps in the shop, but did not find her wallet.

“I alerted security, but the manager just said to me there that there was nothing they could do and that I should open a case at the police station.”

The store manager allowed Botha to have a look at the camera footage. She said it looked like several men were following her, but she could not identify them as they were wearing caps.

“The security guys told me this was not the first time something like this happened,” said Botha who wanted to warn people to be more careful when shopping.

The thieves got away with her wallet with R700 cash, cards and her ID. She received an SMS from her bank when they unsuccessfully tried to draw money from her account.

“When I gave an affidavit at Umhlali police on Sunday, I found that someone had returned my bank cards and drivers license, which had been found in a dustbin at the Lifestyle Centre,” said Botha.

Checkers spokesperson Sarita van Wyk said they had investigated the matter.

“Our camera footage shows that Ms Botha’s handbag was already open when she entered our store. It is therefore likely that the theft occurred prior to her visit to Checkers Ballito. Furthermore, we have no footage of men taking a purse from her handbag in the store,” said Van Wyk.

She said Checkers has various security measures in place to deter crime in their stores.

“These measures are adapted according to circumstances and trends in the area and we also remind customers to be aware of their personal property at all times.”