Gang of 15 caught in the act on CCTV

These hoodlums were captured on security cameras cleaning out the offices of the National Home Builders Registration Council (NHBRC).

Now police are looking for them.

The footage, which was handed to the Randburg police, shows a group of about 15 men entering the NHBRC offices in Bryanston on the night of July 27.

Security manager at the facility Willie Meela said the group gained entry to the premises by telling the staff at the gate that they were delivering parcels.

On the video footage one of the thugs can be seen entering the reception area with a parcel marked NHBRC.

While security personnel prepare to fill in a parcel register a second man, also armed with a phoney parcel, enters.

One of them draws a gun and instructs the two officers to kneel down. Once they have tied them up other accomplices can be seen entering the building.

Without any hesitation the two thieves dismantle a Plasma TV hanging on the wall, while the rest go to the storeroom and begin removing new computers, laptops, LDC monitors, Sonny projectors and servers worth R671000.

Another thief can be seen opening a gate leading to the basement so that a bakkie and a car can enter. The two cars swiftly pull off after being loaded with goods.

Their luck ran out when, a few weeks later, police spotted the van used in the operation loaded with computers stolen from another company.

Meela said: “After effecting an arrest police discovered that the owner of the van was being held at the Hillbrow police station in connection with an unrelated crime.

He said four suspects, believed to be members of a syndicate, are foreign nationals. Anyone with information can contact detective Moloko Motau on 072-675-4540 or Willie Meela on 079-529-6218.

Cecil Motsepe
www.sowetan.co.za

New foundation technique gives hope for RDP houses

A BRAND new civil engineering franchise in the Eastern Cape claims to have the answer to building good quality RDP houses.

GeoBUILD Eastern Cape last week demonstrated to Nelson Mandela Bay officials and contractors an innovative method of constructing foundations which could save money and time, as well as improve the quality of houses. On a recent visit to the metro, Housing, Safety and Liaison MEC Thobile Mhlahlo highlighted various problems contractors faced delivering high-quality RDP houses, including high costs, time constraints and problematic surfaces such as clay at the sites for these houses.

GeoBUILD uses a construction product, approved by the National Home Building Regulation Council (NHBRC), called Multi Modula.

Small hollow pods made from recycled polypropylene are packed over a levelled footprint area. Concrete is then poured over them. Structural engineer and GeoBUILD director Henk Fourie said the method used 47 per cent less concrete and 35% less steel than traditional methods, was easy to implement, and sorted out problems related to clay.

The method has been used around the world for the last 22 years and in South Africa for the past 18 months, during which 13000 RDP houses have been completed using the method.

Municipal spokesman Lourens Schoeman said the metro would be discussing GeoBUILD‘s construction method.

Yolandé Hayward HERALD REPORTER
www.theherald.co.za