LIMPOPO – THUGS are targeting churches in Leeufowntein in Sekhukhune, following two reported incidents of housebreaking and theft in the area at the Roman Catholic and the Lutheran churches recently.
Saint Paul’s Apostolic Faith Mission was also broken into on Monday evening.
Church members said when they arrived at the church on Tuesday morning they were alerted when the lock at the gate was missing and the doors to other rooms at the church were broken open.
Elias Mamogobo, caretaker at the church, said: “We noticed the lock at the gate was missing. It was strange because we locked the gate when we went out on Monday afternoon. Upon further investigations we discovered that some of the door handles of the rooms within the premises were tampered with. Thugs had broken open the door to the kitchen. However, they did not take anything. All was still where we left it the previous day. They failed to break their way into the church itself. We could not believe thieves could go so far as to steal from a holy place.”
At the Roman Catholic Church the criminals stole artifacts including a cross. Church members told CV they found the door wide open when they arrived at the church.
It was discovered that some of the church’s artifacts were missing, including a cross and other valuables. The thugs also broke into the Anglican Church about 5km from the Roman Catholic Church, and artifacts were also found to be missing.
Provincial police spokesperson, Col Ronél Otto, said the police viewed the burglaries in a serious light.
Otto urged residents to safeguard their property.
She added that police were intensifying operations on secondhand dealers and scrap-yards to curb crime.
