As part of our festive season content, the “Cape Argus” retrieved articles from its archives looking at what made news in 1922, and 2002.
The article below was published in the “Cape Argus” dated Cape Town, Wednesday December 4 2002.
(Note: The author of the original article was Norman Joseph.)
Butcher turns bergie to catch meat thieves
by Norman Joseph, Crime Reporter
A suspicious businessman disguised himself as a vagrant to spy on staff at his butchery and allegedly caught them carting off a large amount of meat.
The co-owner of a prominent Wynberg butchery suspected foul play among his staffers when his business showed a downward trend and huge chunks of meat disappeared from the cold storage rooms.
The butchery owner disguised as a vagrant in ragged headgear looking for food and shelter took up a position near his main road business.
Keeping an eagle eye on the front entrance from a safe distance after closing time.
The businessman spent an hour in the morning cold, armed with a small calibre firearm in case the strategy turned dangerous.
He then changed position and loitered around the corner to check out the butchery’s back entrance.
Lo and behold, he was just in time.
Five of his employees appeared and began to wheel a shopping trolley full of huge plastic bags of meat in the direction of a waiting vehicle parked in a side road.
They had apparently unloaded two or three loads when they were caught.
The businessman drew his firearm, confronted the shocked staffers and ordered them back inside the storage room before locking the door and calling the police.
Wynberg police spokeswoman Levinia Pienaar confirmed five people had been arrested after being caught out by their crafty boss, but the butcher declined to speak to the media.
The workers were fired and are facing charges of theft.
