Lethal dumped loot recovered

BURNING last summer’s grass in the veld that immediately surrounds town is an annual occurrence, now carried out at about this time of year by the contractor Quantum Leap.

At the most, what is discovered in the ashes is often piles of domestic rubbish that nearby householders have been too idle to dispose of correctly. Or garden waste, the summer’s lawn shavings, or sometimes builder’s rubble.

Last week on Thursday, Quantum leap workers found something entirely different. It was a gun safe.

It was lying in the grass up at the northern end of town, up towards the railway line. The safe was open and contained five rifles of assorted calibres, numerous rounds of ammunition of assorted calibres, buck-skin gun sleeves and lots of coins and it would appear some badges, probably forming a collection.

There may have been even more valuables which were not immediately visible. The police were summoned.

The SAPS are apparently aware of the case in which these items were stolen in February. Apparently, according to the original complaint, missing is a shotgun and a hand weapon.

It would appear then that the thieves carted away the whole gun safe from the burgled home or business at the time of the crime. Up in the grass, they must have forced the safe open, grabbed the immediately recognisable (and disposable?) weapons, and abandoned the rest of the contents.

Perhaps the length of the rifles make them conspicuous. Perhaps, they meant one day to return.

The SAPS is investigating.