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'Party gang' steals five 4x4s
08/07/2007 22:44 - (SA)
Dries Liebenberg, Beeld
Durban - A large gang of robbers who hit a luxury wilderness holiday resort on the KwaZulu-Natal North Coast, partied and drank for hours before they fled with five 4x4 vehicles, cash and electronic equipment.
Police suspect that the gang who struck the Thonga Beach Lodge near Sodwana, in the St Lucia world heritage area, are the same men who targeted tourists in the Kosi Bay area at the beginning of the year.
Lodge acting manager Chris Rabie said after the robbery:
"I lost everything except my life. But, it could have happened anywhere in this beautiful country of ours."
According to him, a gang of up to 17 men arrived at the resort on Thursday night "with a shopping list".
Closed-circuit TV was demobilised
The robbers first overpowered the security guards before eight of them stormed into the pub with pistols and revolvers at about 23:30, and held staff and guests at gunpoint.
All communication with the outside world was cut off, and the resort's closed-circuit TV cameras were put out of action while between seven and nine robbers guarded the outside.
The robbers forced Rabie to open the resort's safe, and grabbed the cash.
They then went to the staff's quarters where they looted electronic and camera equipment.
The robbers stole four of the resort's 4x4 vehicles, as well as a luxury 4x4 that belonged to a guest.
Robbers sat drinking
"Luckily, most of the guests slept blissfully through it all," said Rabie.
Personnel and guests were locked into a storeroom without windows while the robbers sat in the pub next door drinking.
They finally fled with their loot in the 4x4s at 04:00.
- Beeld
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