Council property was confiscated by the truckload from a house in Parkwood, and a City of Cape Town employee was arrested.
|||Cape Town - Council property was confiscated by the truckload from a house in Parkwood near Grassy Park, and a City of Cape Town employee was arrested.
Police, accompanied by city investigating unit members, went to the house in Acacia Street on Tuesday after police received a tip that council property was allegedly being stored there.
A three-ton truck was parked in the driveway loading what were believed to be council goods.
Among the items seized were computers and printers, fax machines, large gas cylinders, tools, brand new generators, a compressor, air-conditioning systems, geysers, fans, bags of cement, toilet rolls, reflector vests and council clothing, torches, several 20-litre paint tins, electrical wires, detergents, hand towels and refuse bags.
Late on Tuesday afternoon, while police were still loading items into trucks, the estimated value of items confiscated was reported to be at least R150 000.
The house, which is also a children’s daycare and after-care centre, was cordoned off with police tape.
A city worker at the scene said they were waiting for another two trucks and a bakkie to arrive to collect more items. Inside a room in the house, a large pile of stacked items filled about half the room.
A 48-year-old man, who according to police was employed as a handyman at a city maintenance unit, was arrested for possession of stolen property.
Mayoral committee member for corporate services Demetri Qually said they were investigating how the employee had allegedly come to be in possession of the items and what he had planned to do with them.
Provincial police spokesman Captain FC van Wyk confirmed the confiscation of the goods followed a tip-off to police made around 10.45am on Tuesday. Officers contacted the city, which sent two members of their investigating unit to accompany police to identify the items.
The Grassy Park police and officers from the city’s investigations unit are investigating the matter.
Van Wyk said all the property was “seized” and handed over to city authorities.
natasha.prince@inl.co.za
Cape Argus
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