Of all cars in the world, mine would probably be the last one I would have thought would be stolen. Rusted to bits and beaten and bashed, but as life would have it, it has become another crime statistic.
Protected house? Really? The story is actually quite ironic. I was visiting a resident of one of Marina da Gama’s “protected houses” and when I came out, my car was gone. My immediate reaction was relief – hey, this was the kick up the you-know-what I needed. It was high time I got rid of it and I had in fact been actively looking for a new (used) car.

But the paradox of the situation did not escape me. Here I live in what is called the most vulnerable part of the Marina. My house has never been broken into, my car has never been broken into and although I had a bicycle stolen out of the yard once, I have generally been left alone. Funny how, on the rare occasion I venture into the “protected” part of the Marina, my car gets stolen!The real irony is that the next morning I get a call from the police telling me that the car has been recovered.The thieves had ploughed it into a sand dune along Baden Powel Drive and left it there where it was found the following morning.

Although I am thankful to the police for their prompt action, it is probably hardly worth the trouble to go and fetch it at Bellville, where it is now kept until it can be fingerprinted and processed by the police.

I would however like to take this opportunity to thank the police for their quick response to my call and also to Inspector Drake of the Muizenberg police for his enthusiasm when he told me the car was found again. My mind tells me that it would probably have been better had it not been recovered, but my heart is thankful that this little car, which has given me so many years of excellent service, did not spend the end of its days in the hands of criminals. Somehow, it just deserves better.
(Posted to marinasecurity@gmail.com by a resident of Marina da Gama)