A Bonteheuwel oupa is kwaad vir a Elsies River mechanic after his car was stolen from right in front of their door.
Harry Blanchard, 62, says he took his 1996 Toyota Corolla, which he owned for nearly 20 years, to SA Auto Parts after the new motor he bought from them started giving him issues.
“I bought a new motor on 30 November and I brought it home to put in myself, but then I saw that the one valve was misfiring and there was a strong petrol smell coming from it,” he says.
He was finally told to bring his car in on 3 May for a service.
“I brought the car in at 9am and I signed all the paperwork to book the car in.
“Afterwards I parked right in front of the service door and I put my steering lock on before I gave them the keys.
“Then I went to the shop with my granddaughter for a few hours and I walked past and saw that my car was still parked outside.
“I asked them why is it still outside and they said that they will park it soon, but when I drove past there again on the bus home at 11.45am I saw it was still outside.
“Then at 3.45pm, they called to say that the car was stolen from right in front of the store.
“I was upset because it meant that the car stood outside the whole day so they were negligent.”
When the Daily Voice contacted SA Auto Parts, the owner, Aziz, said he had security footage of the theft.
However, when we arrived at the workshop to view the footage, he suddenly refused and said: “The car was stolen from the front entrance. We have camera footage that shows a man taking the car close to 4pm. It is now a police matter.”
Harry says he reported the car stolen at Elsies River SAPS and provided a case number.
Police spokesperson Captain FC van Wyk said the query was still being processed and could not provide feedback.