Cape Town - A government abalone storage facility has been hit again by brazen robbers and questions have been raised over security measures.
This is the third robbery this year.
The first incident took place on May 15 when five armed robbers overpowered security guards, took their guns before making off with an undisclosed amount of abalone.
In August, the facility was hit by six armed suspects who robbed security guards of their cellphones and firearms before escaping with dried abalone.
In the most recent incident, which occurred on December 21 at the Paarden Eiland, about 400kg abalone with a street value of around R800 000 was stolen and the security officers were allegedly tied up.
Spokesperson for the Department of Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries, Khaye Nkwanyana, told the Weekend Argus that, “The matter regarding robberies has been handed over to the police and Hawks.”
However, provincial spokesperson, Philani Nkwalase, said the Hawks were not investigating this particular matter as it falls under the mandate of the SAPS.