An incident of alleged hubcap theft at the Riebeeck Square parking lot in the CBD has brought the safety of motor vehicles into the spotlight.
A social media user posted a video at the weekend, showing her Volkswagen Polo’s four hubcaps were allegedly stolen while it was parked in the lot flanked by Shortmarket, Bree, Church and Buitengracht streets.
The user said she was at lunch with a friend in Bree Street and after her hubcaps were taken, the staff of security provider, Servest, still insisted she pay the R85 parking fee, which she did not do.
She instead gave the staff a tip. The car owner says in the video: “I had some lunch with mates, came back, and please tell me why my hubcaps are gone. All [four] of them. What are we paying for? What is the point of secure parking if we’re just gonna have our hubcaps taken off?”
Multiple requests for comment sent to Servest went unanswered by deadline.
The City says that its property management department was looking into the matter.
The City says: “The City is aware of the issues mentioned and the matter is being addressed by the City’s property management department.”
Central City Improvement District (CCID) security manager, Jurie Bruwer, says while the crime was not prevalent in the CBD, he advised that other incidents of theft from vehicles were, such as smash and grabs.
Bruwer said side mirrors were also removed from vehicles.
Bruwer says: “We have more cases of theft out of motor vehicles – when thieves break into vehicles. But this petty crime has dropped off in recent weeks to as little as two to four incidents a week.”
He said Riebeeck Square was privately owned and not monitored by the CCID.