Winnie 'tense' after R4m theft
2007-02-21 23:32
Alet van Zyl and Mandy Rossouw
Johannesburg - Orlando police station commissioner has told detectives working on the theft of R4m of jewellery from Winnie Madikizela-Mandela's house that they must work day and night - without sleep - to solve the case.
Director Godfrey Mashao, station commissioner of Orlando police station said on Wednesday that Madikizela-Mandela's house in Orlando West, Soweto, apparently had been burgled last week. Jewellery valued at R4m allegedly is missing.
When Madikizela-Mandela returned home from a visit to Chicago, she noticed at about 21:30 on Monday that two of her safes were missing and a third had been tampered with.
Police spokesperson Jacqueline Mbatha said there was no sign of forced entry at Madikizela-Mandela's home.
Cops will be 'interviewing everybody'
Members of Madikizela-Mandela's family had stayed at her luxury double-storey house while she was overseas.
"She didn't say in her statement that she suspected any of the family, but we'll be interviewing everyone."
A neighbour across the road told Beeld that Madikizela-Mandela's grandchildren from her daughters, Zenani en Zinzi, had looked after the house last week.
Themba Dlamini, a neighbour who has lived opposite Madikizela-Mandela in Maseli Street for six years, said he was surprised to see a new security guard in front of her gate on Tuesday morning.
CCTV was broken
"There are so many security regulations at her house that I don't believe anyone could just have walked in and stolen something."
The new security guard said on Wednesday there were no guard dogs on the property, but it was equipped with closed-circuit television and an alarm system.
Beeld heard on Wednesday that the CCTV was broken and hadn't yielded any clues.
One of Madikizela-Mandela's employees at the house said on Wednesday "everyone was running around" on the property.
Winnie 'very tense'
"The police are still busy in the house and she (Madikizela-Mandela) is also here," said the employee, who declined to give his name.
"They'll skin me alive if they hear I'm talking to you."
A man who visited Madikizela-Mandela's home on Wednesday said he had never seen her so upset in the many years he had known her.
"She's very tense," he said.