The Queenstown post office was hit with two more burglaries on Monday and Wednesday this week. This
is in just nearly two weeks after the most recent break-in had occurred.
Police spokesperson Namhla Mdleleni said a case was open and police are investigating the matter.
An anonymous employee told The Rep the first burglary took place on October 27.
According to the source the thieves gained access through a window, where they jumped over the counter
and headed for the room where the parcels shipped from overseas were kept.
”The parcels are things like make up, perfumes and clothing items which people order via online. The one
time we found some of the boxes opened in the room, one of them had t-shirts.
”I do not think it is an inside job but I suspect it could be the homeless people who sleep at the entrance of
the post office.
It is definitely people with small bodies who are able to slip their way through the narrow opening of a broken window. It is also clear that the alarm system is not working,” she said.
The source added one of their concerns was that the security company of the post office was not sourced
locally, which made it impossible for regular patrols to be conducted.
An issue which she said paused a question of safety and security as employees.
According to her this also exposed the lack of police visibility, which she believes should have strengthen
from the moment the first incident had happened.
”It would create a huge problem if the Queenstown post office was closed, because the a number of other
areas are relying on it.
Especially with post offices like the one at The Mall being closed due to its inability to generate money.
”The post office in Cacadu was closed because there were a number of cases where money was stolen. It
got to a point where employees felt their lives were under enormous threat, that they could die at any
given time.
”They boycotted until the post office was closed. Even after it was closed the break ins
continued and vandalism began to surface.”
The source said the Ezibeleni post office construction had been completed for a while and she was
worried it would be a set target for vandals.
Suzie Khumalo confirmed from the South African post office communication department said the parcels
were stolen and that they did not suspect the occurrence to have stem from an inside job.
When asked if there was a alarm system in place Khumalo said: ”There is a alarm system which is
centralised.
”There are clear signs of an illegal break-in. We cannot speculate any reasons for criminal actions. We
are upgrading security at high-risk branches,” she said.
