Three cars stolen in Town Centre

Three vehicles stolen from Town Centre over a five-day period were recovered in Philippi on Tuesday May 13. 

According to Western Cape Stolen and Hijacked Vehicles (WCSHVehicles) administrator Clint Ferguson, the thefts occurred on Tuesday May 6, Friday May 9 and Saturday May 10. All three cars were hotwired after suspects broke into them.

The first theft involved a white Toyota Corolla, stolen on Tuesday May 6 from the parking area behind Boxer Supermarket. The car belonged to Penny Roman, 63, of Lentegeur. She and her husband John, 71, were in the area on pension day, following their usual routine of shopping at Town Centre. 

Ms Roman said she entered Shoprite while her husband waited outside. He called her after noticing the car had disappeared. They reported the incident to Mitchell’s Plain SAPS and posted about the stolen vehicle in community crime groups. The couple’s car was identified by unique damage marks from a previous accident.

On Friday May 9, a navy blue Nissan Sentra was taken between 12.30pm and 2pm from the parking area near the MyCiTi bus terminal while the owner attended mosque.

Around 2pm on Friday May 10, a white Nissan Sentra was stolen from a parking lot next to Mitchell’s Plain SAPS.

All three vehicles were recovered during a Law Enforcement operation conducted in Philippi by the City of Cape Town's Law Enforcement Unit. The operation was based on intelligence provided through the WCSHVehicles platform. The recovered vehicles were taken to the impound and have since been returned to their owners.

Mr Ferguson confirmed that all three vehicles had their batteries removed, and that the mag wheels of the blue Sentra were stolen.

He advised motorists to take extra care when parking in public areas. Suggestions included installing tracking devices and, where possible, leaving someone in the vehicle to keep watch.

He also warned of scammers who pose as recovery agents and demand payment for returning stolen vehicles. He stated that there are no fees involved in legitimate recovery or towing processes.

Mr Ferguson also noted that hijackings have increased in the Mitchell’s Plain area in recent months. He urged the public to report thefts immediately to SAPS and not to engage with anyone offering to return a stolen vehicle in exchange for payment.

The WCSHVehicles team commended the law enforcement officers involved and said it will continue to work with community networks to trace and recover stolen vehicles.