Pretoria - Videos and images of cars with missing headlights, mirrors and other parts, stolen outside Loftus Stadium during a soccer match at the weekend, have sparked public outrage and concern among motorists.
Some of the cars had also been broken into.
The unlucky motorists had parked their vehicles in the street and gone into the stadium on Sunday to watch the DStv Premiership clash between Mamelodi Sundowns and Sekhukhune United, only to return to find their cars missing parts and vandalised.
The images – which went viral – showed, among others, a Volkswagen Tiguan and a Golf 7 with gaping holes where the lights had been, and their front bumpers broken and pushed out of place by the thieves.
The thefts have reminded people of a similar crime wave in 2021, when scores of Volkswagen cars were targeted for their easily-removable headlights.
Videos on social media show criminals removing the headlights without tools or screwdrivers, and not needing to unlock the cars or open the bonnet.
In some instances it is so quick that a car would stop next to a Volkswagen and one person would jump out and forcefully pull out the headlights before quickly leaping back into the getaway car.
The weekend thefts are believed to be the work of specialists, who work with second-hand parts dealers.
The dealers buy the stolen headlights from the thieves at a good price, and then resell them.
Several complaints were posted on social media. Shane Wayne said: “Some people work very hard for everything they have, and some people just take from them just like that. Something is seriously wrong with us. Imagine you come outside to find your car bumper on the ground and head lamps gone.”
Thapelo Nkosi said: “Where are those car guards who claim to watch our cars when we go inside stadiums? You will never find these guys there when something is stolen or a car is broken into. This also happens outside FNB stadium. When you find your car broken into these guys are either gone or they do not know anything.”
Police, Loftus management and Sundowns had yet to comment by late yesterday.
Pretoria News