Gift of the Givers Relief Packages Recovered After Metro Police Arrest 10 People for Cape Town Office Heist

• The Gift of the Givers break-in saga has a silver lining after authorities rounded up the people responsible for the robbery
• The criminals stole relief packages which were meant for the victims of the recent devastating fires
• Gift of the Givers vowed that the victims would still receive assistance even if the organisation has to make alternative arrangements

CAPE TOWN - Metro Police in Cape Town have recovered the relief packages stolen from the Gift of the Givers offices in the early hours of Monday morning, 9 November.

The stolen packages, which were meant for fire victims, were recovered after Metro Police specialised teams initially made three arrests. A joint operation between multiple law enforcement agencies led to a total of 10 people being rounded up, the mayoral committee revealed on Wednesday, 11 January.

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Mayoral committee member JP Smith revealed that the arrest came after the South African Police Services (SAPS) were tipped-off that the stolen property was being stored at four warehouses in Hanover Park.

Smith added that authorities will conduct further investigations to ensure that all those responsible for the crime face the full might of the law, TimesLIVE reported.

Gift of the Givers vows to soldier on in spite of the recent break-in

The chairperson of Gift of the Givers, Dr Imtiaz Sooliman vowed that the people waiting for assistance from the organisation would not be affected by the break-in.

According to News24, Sooliman added that Gift of the Givers would source alternative supplies, if necessary, to ensure that the victims of the fires would receive the assistance they needed.

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Sooliman said:

"The message is clear: our work will not be affected, the support for the victims will not be affected."

South Africans weigh in on the break-in at the Gift of the Givers' offices

Citizens are shocked that people would steal from an organisation that does so much good in the community.

Below are some reactions:

@JustineLimLaw complained:

"We have terrible humans among us."

@miss_andisa asked:

"What level of depravity is this?"

@Ngceba6Wandile demanded:

"These criminals must be arrested and never be given bail."

@simthesisss added:

"The actions of the community members cooperating with the police are the silver lining of this story."

@andiledalisu commented:

"Crime is rampant."

Gift of the Givers Cape Town offices ransacked and relief packages stolen, theft sparks anger

Earlier, Briefly News reported that the Gift of the Givers in Cape Town had their offices ransacked by criminals over the weekend.

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A laptop, TVs, office chairs and relief packs for the Western Cape fire victims were stolen during the burglary. The theft is expected to delay aid to people and organisations in need since important information was saved on the stolen laptop.

The organisation’s project manager Ali Sablay told News24 that staff members noticed their offices were ransacked on Monday morning, 9 January. He said the thieves not only stole from the organisation but from the community.

Source: Briefly News