A local volunteer couple working in Malawi were left stranded in Pretoria East when their bakkie was stolen at the Parkview shopping centre in Moreleta Park on Sunday.
In an attempt to raise awareness of the “false sense of security” at some shopping centres, the couple spent the whole of Tuesday outside the premises with a sign reading: “My car stolen @ Parkview Sunday lunchtime”.
The victims, Tania van Remoortere (48) and her husband, Charles, were having lunch at a restaurant in the centre around 12:00 when they noticed their white Toyota Land Cruiser bakkie was missing.
Tania said the vehicle was parked around the corner about 100m from where they were sitting when it was stolen.
Thieves apparently disarmed the alarm and central locking system and tail-gated the vehicle through the boom gate.
According to the couple, a woman who had assisted customers with their parking tickets at the boom gate, notified the security office that two vehicles had tail-gated. She apparently noted the registration and description of the couple’s bakkie that exited the parking lot behind an unknown vehicle.
“When we asked the security guards at the office why the theft had not been reported to their security company, centre management or the police, we were told that they did not have airtime on their cellphones to do so,” Tania said.
“Also, they could only provide us with video footage taken of the backside of the vehicles exiting the parking lot as there was only one camera installed in the entire area. Needless to say, this makes it impossible to identify the thieves who stole our vehicle.”
Tania said she felt it was ridiculous that the security company and mall management had failed them completely. The couple called Garsfontein police who responded to the scene within minutes.
The couple, who has been living in Pretoria for the past twenty years, spend most of their time working in Malawi and return to Pretoria once a year to visit family and friends.
Charles said they wanted to create public awareness so that people would realise the centre was a crime hotspot. He said they were disappointed that they could not return to Malawi the previous day, where they do upliftment and missionary work in poor communities.
Charles said they had strong faith in God and trusted the police would find their vehicle.
Police spokesperson Warrant Officer Dave Miller, said they were investigating. He said vehicle-related crimes were on the increase at shopping centres in the east of Pretoria and criminals targeted especially gym-goers in the early mornings and early evenings.
The centre manager was not immediately available for comment.
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