Durban - Two Durban families have been left shattered after century-old heirlooms, brought to South Africa by their indentured forefathers, were recently stolen during house robberies.
One was a 158-year-old safe that weighed around a ton and, the other, a gold chain and pendant.
The black safe, which has a brass handle and emblems, and made the voyage from India to South Africa by ship with its owner, a young Indian indentured labourer, was taken during a robbery in Ottawa.
The thieves also made off with the jewellery stored inside for safekeeping, valued at around R200000.
“My paternal grandfather (Sharma Maharaj) came to South Africa in 1860 as an indentured labourer.
"The safe was gifted to him by his father as a reminder of his home and family in India and, for our family, it has been a symbol of where we came from,” said Garene Maharaj.
She added that before her grandfather's death, he had given the safe to her now late father, Bhaskarduth Lutchmonpersad Maharaj, and her mother, Premsundree, 77.
But robbers, not daunted by the prospect of stealing a one ton safe, managed to get it off her parents property, together with a refrigerator, washing machine, television and microwave.
A neighbour had notified her relative about the burglary.
She said her mother, who had suffered a stroke in July, had relocated to Gauteng to live with her.
She was “completely devastated” that the safe and wedding jewellery were gone.
Maharaj, who arrived in Durban a few days later, believes robbers had been monitoring the property and had possibly broke in twice.
“They must have seen the community newspapers piled up near the post box and realised no one was home.
"When I arrived, the front door was unlocked and the burglar bars on the window were pulled apart.”
She said the kitchen door was broken with a crowbar, which led her to believe they had later returned. In a bid to retrieve the safe, the family has offered a R2000 reward.
In the second incident, a family from Oaklands, in Verulam, suffered a similar fate when a century-old gold chain and pendant was stolen.
The head of Reaction Unit South Africa, Prem Balram, said the chain was passed down four generations and held sentimental value. Other jewellery, including 18 carat gold mungal sutra earrings, a 22 carat Kruger coin, rings, chains and bracelets worth about R250000 were taken.
Antique shop owner Nicola Oosthuizen said the value of the safe could possibly be R38000.
“The stolen safe has probably ended up with a scrap metal dealer because of its weight. This is a rare item. I have been in the business for over 20 years and I have only seen one.”
A jewellery expert, who declined to be named, said the chain and pendant back then would have cost around R150. It would now be valued at around R150000, depending on the weight.