A Grahamstown man, Etienne Mager, has warned the public to be careful after he recently lost his brand new Isuzu bakkie at a Beaufort Street car wash.
A Grahamstown man, Etienne Mager, has warned the public to be careful after he recently lost his brand new Isuzu bakkie at a Beaufort Street car wash.
Mager said he took his bakkie to Liyakhanya Car Wash just before 9am, left keys with the staff there and returned to his work place. He was told he should come and fetch it around midday.
“If you want to leave your car and not wait for it to be finished then you are allowed to leave your keys with the staff. They need to move the cars since there is a queue,” he said.
However, he says that, when he came back to fetch his bakkie, he couldn’t find it.
“I became suspicious when I noticed that my bakkie was not there. I asked the person that I left the keys with where it was.
He told me that a short guy had come and said he had been sent by me to fetch the bakkie. They gave him the keys and he left with it.
“I didn't ask lots of questions, I went straight to the police station and opened a case,” said Mager.
He said that, fortunately, the bakkie was insured and his insurance company paid him out.
“I am just doing this [talking to Grocott’s Mail]to raise awareness and tell other people that they must be careful when they leave their cars at car washes.
I don’t specifically mean the one where my bakkie was stolen. I just mean any of the car washes.”
Grahamstown police spokesperson Captain Mali Govender confirmed the incident.
“Yes, the case is being investigated by our vehicle identification unit. No recovery or arrest has been made,” she said.
Liyakhanya Car Wash owner, Mbulelo Kitsili, said he can’t comment on the matter because it was not reported to him.
He said that his staff didn’t say anything to him about it. “I don’t know anything about the matter, I only heard rumours and nothing came to me. The best person to talk to is the owner who says his car was stolen,” said Kitsili.
