Cape Town -
Brazen thieves are targeting places of worship around the city, in one case making off with a brass crucifix after hiding in a church overnight, and in another, breaking their way through a roof and stealing office doors.
A church in Green Point was also nearly broken into about a week ago – and in November, the priest there was assaulted and nearly hijacked outside the church. Three years earlier he was stabbed and left for dead in a Constantia church.
The crimes have become so frequent that at one city mosque, where worshippers’ shoes are often stolen during prayer time, people have been advised to either keep their footgear in packets or place their shoes far apart to deter thieves.
Clerics believe criminals are targeting them because they are seen as easy pickings, or for brass items in their places of worship.
While police say there is no trend when it comes to holy places being targeted, Alan Kusevitsky, head of City Bowl Armed Response, said he had noticed churches were increasingly being burgled.
“They’re breaking into churches left, right and centre, in Woodstock especially. They’re stealing everything,” he said.
In one of the latest incidents, thieves broke through the roof of a Methodist Church in Khayelitsha on Wednesday and stole the doors leading to an office. On Tuesday thieves stole computers, kettles and other equipment from the same church.
It was the fourth time this year the church was burgled.
Mqondisi Vena, a co-ordinator of the Provincial Council of Churches, said: “They entered through the roof and stole almost everything (in the office). As a result (staff) are not working from the church premises.”
He believed thieves were targeting churches. “It is a big problem. Some of our churches now have burglar bars and alarm systems,” Vena said.
Andrew Cox, parish priest of St Margaret Mary in Green Point who has been attacked on church premises twice, said thieves tried to break into the church and catechism classrooms about a week ago.
“Two bolts and padlocks were smashed in the attempt to gain entry to the yard outside the classrooms. The thief did not get into these places but did manage to steal garden equipment,” he said.
In another incident on November 20, Cox was assaulted outside the church by a would-be robber.
A man with a gun smashed the window of Cox’s car and grabbed his car keys from him, but ran away when Cox fought back.
In 2012, Cox was stabbed at the Our Lady of the Visitation Catholic Church in Constantia. He said the November assault “was a bit too soon after the other attack”.
“I believe that churches and church personnel are seen as soft targets by criminals,” Cox said.
St Margaret Mary was trying to raise money to boost security.
Gerardo Garcia, the parish priest at Holy Cross Catholic Church in District Six, said thieves struck on February 22 and stole a 1911 brass crucifix. “When we closed the church, the robbers hid for the whole night then when somebody opened up the next day they ran out,” he said.
The thieves had broken into collection boxes to steal cash. Garcia said they also stole any brass items, including bells used during masses.
“I think they were targeting the brass and the metal,” he said.
About two weeks later, the crucifix was discovered in plastic bags inside a cupboard in the church.
Garcia said it appeared the thieves had returned the crucifix.
“It’s very strange.”
Michael Weeder, dean of St George’s Cathedral, said a security guard was employed there because of constant crimes.
Mosques were also targeted. Yusuf Agherdien, a sheikh at Mosque Shafie in Bo-Kaap, said about two weeks ago there was a break-in and cash was stolen.
He said this followed a spate of other incidents.
Expensive shoes were pinched during prayer times.
“It was never like this before. After prayers we lock the mosque. You can’t leave it open anymore,” he said.
Jewish places of worship had also been targeted. Eric Beswick, executive director of Temple Israel, said the synagogue in Wynberg had been targeted three times this year.
The latest incident was three weeks ago, but security had then been boosted since then and there had been no further incidents.
He said the crimes were not specifically targeting the Jewish community.
Sunday Argus