When members of the Evangelical Bible Church in Bonteheuwel in the Western Cape arrived for their morning service on Sunday, they were greeted by a vandalised and flooded church hall.
A member of the church, Yulene Geland, who with her husband opened a case at the Bishop Lavis police station, told TimesLIVE thieves stole electrical cabling, copper pipes and a gas stove.
“At 8.30am this morning, when we unlocked the church's gate, when we were on the premises walking in, we saw water coming from the doors. When we opened the gate, we discovered the whole church is flooded. I took my shoes off and I walked through the ankle-deep water. We discovered the whole church was vandalised. I walked through the gentlemen’s toilet and the urinary and hand basin were broken. The water was running from there. I went to the ladies and the hand basin and three toilets were all broken into pieces,” she said.
She said the thieves gained entry through a small window.
“I went through into the kitchen, our fridge was turned on the side and all the copper was taken out. We have a very big gas stove that we use for the soup kitchen. That gas stove is gone, how they managed to get that out of the church, only Father Lord knows. They took everything. Nothing was left unturned.”
Geland said thieves had stolen electrical cables a month ago.
“Its terrible — they stole our cables a month ago and we were having church in the darkness. Then we spent almost R20,000 to put in new cables and they came back and stole those cables. Also, they dug it out from under the ground. Now we can’t do anything, our hands are tied.”
Local ward councillor Angus McKenzie said after being informed, he immediately deployed the Bonteheuwel law enforcement team.
One suspect had been detained and a manhunt was under way for the other suspects.
“While justice is expected to take its course, it will in fact be God's judgment these evil cretins will struggle to escape from,” he said.
TimesLIVE
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Thieves rob and vandalise Bonteheuwel church, stealing gas stove and flooding the building
Image: Supplied
When members of the Evangelical Bible Church in Bonteheuwel in the Western Cape arrived for their morning service on Sunday, they were greeted by a vandalised and flooded church hall.
A member of the church, Yulene Geland, who with her husband opened a case at the Bishop Lavis police station, told TimesLIVE thieves stole electrical cabling, copper pipes and a gas stove.
“At 8.30am this morning, when we unlocked the church's gate, when we were on the premises walking in, we saw water coming from the doors. When we opened the gate, we discovered the whole church is flooded. I took my shoes off and I walked through the ankle-deep water. We discovered the whole church was vandalised. I walked through the gentlemen’s toilet and the urinary and hand basin were broken. The water was running from there. I went to the ladies and the hand basin and three toilets were all broken into pieces,” she said.
She said the thieves gained entry through a small window.
“I went through into the kitchen, our fridge was turned on the side and all the copper was taken out. We have a very big gas stove that we use for the soup kitchen. That gas stove is gone, how they managed to get that out of the church, only Father Lord knows. They took everything. Nothing was left unturned.”
Geland said thieves had stolen electrical cables a month ago.
“Its terrible — they stole our cables a month ago and we were having church in the darkness. Then we spent almost R20,000 to put in new cables and they came back and stole those cables. Also, they dug it out from under the ground. Now we can’t do anything, our hands are tied.”
Local ward councillor Angus McKenzie said after being informed, he immediately deployed the Bonteheuwel law enforcement team.
One suspect had been detained and a manhunt was under way for the other suspects.
“While justice is expected to take its course, it will in fact be God's judgment these evil cretins will struggle to escape from,” he said.
TimesLIVE
Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.
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