Kimberley - A Kimberley jewellery store owner was shot in the leg during an armed robbery in one of city’s busiest streets on Saturday morning. The robbers escaped with jewellery with an undisclosed value.
Two “suspicious” men, one dressed in a police uniform, entered the Jewellery Shoppe in Long Street on Saturday morning. Co-owner, Philip du Plessis, 38, said he was alone on duty at the time of the incident.
“I was working alone so I did not want to unpack the safe for security reasons. At about 9.30am two suspicious looking men were at the door asking to enter,” Du Plessis said during a telephonic interview on Sunday.
“With all the recent robberies, I was particularly careful but since one of the two was wearing a police uniform, I thought it would be OK.”
Du Plessis said that he was alerted that something was not right when he noticed that the suspect in the police uniform was not wearing SAPS-issued boots.
“I knew something was not right and when one of them reached into a bag that he was carrying, I reached for the taser. They jumped back at first but as I came around the counter, the smaller of the two (the one without the police uniform) shot me in the leg with a .22.”
He added that the pair went on to clean out the safe and got away with jewellery with a value that could run into the millions.
“They cable-tied my hands and kept hitting and kicking me to prevent me from getting to my feet. Then they ordered me to open the safe. I was shaking so much that I struggled to get the combination right and on the third attempt one of the robbers told the other to just shoot me for wasting their time.”
This robbery has further raised suspicions that prominent local families in Kimberley have become targets of criminal syndicates.
The shop is one of the business interests of prominent local diamond dealer, Christopher Stokes, whose wife, Suna, was recently robbed of a four-carat diamond ring when her vehicle was forced off the road in Aviva Street, Hadison Park.
“It is difficult to say for sure, but it certainly appears as if there is a syndicate targeting people in our trade. There have been several robberies involving jewellers across the country, including in Franschoek, and I can not help but feel that we are sitting ducks,” Du Plessis said.
“Our busiest time of year is just beginning, but I have nothing to look forward to this Christmas with an empty safe and a fortune in jewellery taken. I can not put an exact financial or sentimental value on what was taken.”
The police are requesting the help of members of the public in tracking down the robbers, who fled in a white BMW.
“They are armed and dangerous and people are warned not to approach them or to buy any jewellery from them.” Police spokeswoman, Lieutenant Andrea Cloete, added that any person with information regarding the robbery should contact the Kimberley Police Station on (053) 838 4200 or the investigation officer, Warrant Officer Markgraaff, on 082 302 0407.
“The police are calling on all business owners to be vigilant and alert at all times and if they are suspicious of any person, they should not open their premises. As the festive season draws near, businesses are also encouraged to employee private securities. The police investigation continues.”
Diamond Fields Advertiser