Graaff-Reinet man loses car at Springboks match, CCTV cameras not working

What was supposed to be a very enjoyable visit to the Nelson Mandela Bay for Graaff-Reinet man, Leroy Williams, turned sour when his car got stolen while he helped cheer on the Springboks to victory over Argentina at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Saturday.

Speaking to RNEWS, Williams said that, like many rugby fans, who converged on the Bay for the match, he drove over 225km to Port Elizabeth with the excitement of watching the Springboks play live for the first time in his life.

After arriving at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, he found a parking spot along Stebonheath Road near Cubata, which is a short walk from the stadium precinct at around 4pm, before joining other excited rugby fans into the stadium.

However, when he came out of the stadium, when the match ended – at around 7:30pm, his car was nowhere to be found.

“My Toyota Tazz, with registration number DDV098EC, was my very first car and I just can’t explain the pain I am currently feeling,” described Williams.

After a fruitless search, his friends took him to the Mount Road Police Station where he opened a case.

Describing to RNEWS, Williams said that he noted that there were CCTV cameras facing the area where he parked his car.

Thanks to a Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality 'Go Green' sign against illegal dumping in the area, he got the contact number of the office managing the CCTVs.

To his shock, when he contacted them, hoping to get security footage of what had happened to his car, he was simply told that the cameras in that area don’t work anymore.

“How could this have happened with such a big game in the so called ‘Friendly City’? I am truly shocked and I don’t think that I will ever visit Port Elizabeth again,” he said.

Spotted the stolen vehicle? Call the police on 10111 or inbox Williams on Facebook.