16 Jan 2025

  The Tomela Council Chamber in Kanye recently became the target of a brazen break-in, leaving offices ransacked and thousands of Pula worth of property stolen.

The January 6 incident came just a week after a similar break-in at the Rural Administration Centre (RAC), raising suspicions about a possible connection.

Acting Council Secretary ,Mr Emmanuel Swapo revealed that the thieves looted computers, files, and other valuables during the RAC incident.

Mr Swapo detailed the damage caused at Tomela Council Chamber, where he said office and kitchen doors were vandalised and that even the council chairman’s office was broken into.

“The culprits stole files, a laptop, television decoders, routers and council replicas, amounting to around P80 000. Cleaners discovered the break-in early in the morning,” he explained.

He expressed concern over the nature of the crime, calling it alarming, and suspicious that high-profile council offices were targeted in both cases.

“This seems like an inside job. The perpetrators appear to have had enough time to thoroughly vandalise and loot these offices, possibly attempting to tamper with evidence by stealing critical files and computers,” he said.

Mr Swapo assured residents that the council will prioritise tighter security measures at Tomela Council Chamber, particularly as the contract with the current security provider nears its end.

Confirming the report of the break-in, though he declined to shed more light on the matter, Superintendent Mogogi Mathaba of Kanye Police Station attributed the break-in to poor lighting around the chamber.

“The lack of proper lighting hinders the security personnel’s ability to monitor the area effectively and exposes them to potential danger from attackers,” he explained. ENDS