Five staff members from a Shoprite store in Surrey Estate, including a manager, appeared in the Athlone Magistrates’ Court on Thursday after they were arrested for stealing groceries valued at over R200 000.
Officers at Manenberg Police Station got a skrik when the group was brought to the cop shop by their own security team on Thursday morning.
According to a police source, the group, which includes two security guards and a pregnant cashier, were in cahoots and konkeled to steal from the Shoprite U$ave store.
“They were all smokkeling together and even the security was in on it. Shoprite did an audit recently and found that there was over R200 000 worth of goods missing over a period of time so they checked the cameras,” says the source.
AUDIT: Groceries went missing from U$ave in Surrey Estate. Picture: Supplied
“Turns out the manager along with other staff and security guards were all working together and almost every day after closing time, they walked out with packets of goods they never paid for. So while they were telling the customers ‘You Save’, they were stealing.”
The source says the group stole a wide range of products from shampoos, relaxers and batteries to muffin mix, entjies and toothpaste.
“Hulle het van alles gesteel! The one security guard was dikbek the whole time because he says he only stole one 2kg bag of County Fair chicken, but the others were greedy and took a lot more.
“One of the skelms is also pregnant e n hulle was nog in volle uniform toe hulle hier kom.”
Acting station commander, Colonel Sanele Zama, says the five suspects aged between 25 and 44 years old were sent to Athlone Magistrates’ Court on Thursday and appeared on theft charges.
“It is alleged that the staff members were caught on CCTV red-handed stealing grocery items,” says Zama.
“The U$ave company directors noticed a decline in profits at the store after doing an audit.
“They then checked CCTV footage and discovered that their staff was taking items after hours without compensating the store.
“They were arrested by their own security personnel and brought in to Manenberg detectives for processing.”
PICKED UP: Suspects in back of cop van. Picture: Supplied
Shoprite said Thursday: “The chain is not in a position to comment on the matter you enquired about as it relates to the police arrest of two U$ave staff members and three service providers contracted to a store in connection with charges of theft.
“The case is currently under investigation and the law must be allowed to take its course”.