Dear friends..

I would like to share a something with all of you..so that you are more aware of your domestic workers.

Last Friday, (25.07.08) my maid forgot her cell phone at my house. I decided to have a look at the phone...

I found that she has video clips of all the houses that she works at incl. mine. She filmed everything. From room to room, making specific notice to appliances, the TV's, dvd's, sound systems etc.

I was very shocked and surprised to see this. I then went thru the rest of her phone...and found sms confirmations of huge sums of monies being deposited into her account twice in this month.(more than double my salary). What is a domestic worker doing with that amount of money? Cos' the money I pay her is peanuts compared to that.

Our first thoughts were that she probably gets paid for assisting burglars. It is purely murphy's law that she forgot her phone, because my place was filmed on Friday the 25 of July, while I was at work.

So, I don't know what she has been planning and for when, but I am so glad that we found this now.

She also took pictures of our pictures that we have on the fridge and in frames on the walls etc. as well as the intercom behind the door. This I find very strange and suspicious.

She phoned me frantically later that night to tell me to switch her phone off. I have not asked her anything yet.

I have in fact sent the video clips to my phone for proof if we may need it. But I have since changed the locks on my doors and I have asked her to come to my place on Saturday instead of during the week. We plan on confronting her first and then dismissing her.

Another thing I would like to mention is that normally when I talk to her, she has this thing that she can not talk english very well...but on the video clip her english is very good and even her tone of voice is different.

Q. 1: Are most cars hijacked on order by syndicates?
Answer: Yes, I would get a phone call to deliver a certain type of car by a
certain deadline, and then we'd go out and search for one. If they needed it
quickly, I would hijack. If I had a bit more time I'd steal a parked car, as
it was safer.

Q. 2: Which types of vehicles are the most popular amongst hijackers?
Answer: We would get orders to steal just about anything. Double-cab
bakkies, any make, were in very high demand. Also, "G-strings" (BMW
3-series), Polo's, Mercedes and Toyotas. I'd get paid a lot more for a
double-cab, around R16 000, but only about R500 to R6 000 for a car. If it
was an expensive car like the "Anaconda" (BMW 7-series) I could get about 15
grand, though.

Q. 3: Which cars have the lowest hijack risk?
Answer: There's no such thing. There's a demand for all sorts of cars, old
and new. If the vehicle isn't sold then it's stripped for spares. The only
thing there isn't really an interest in is expensive exotics. I once stole a
Ferrari from a garage just for fun, drove it around for a while and then
left it back at the garage.

Q. 4: Do most of the cars that aren't stripped end up beyond our borders?
Answer: No, a lot stay in the country. They are given new identities,
re-registered and sold here.

Q. 5: How effective are modern anti-theft and tracking systems?
Answer: When I was stealing cars three years ago, most of them were a joke.
I could break into almost any car and drive it away within minutes. Some
cars were very advanced and a lot of work to steal though, like Volvos. With
tracking systems, it was usually very easy to find where the device was
hidden. While one guy drove the car, his accomplices would strip the
interior looking for the tracker's hiding place. Then sometimes we'd place
the tracking unit into a taxi and trick the police and the helicopters into
following the taxi. Nowadays the tracking systems are getting a lot better
though, with quicker response times, and towards the end I nearly got caught
a couple of times.

Q. 6: How did you learn how to override these high-tech systems?
Answer: Experience, and learning from other car thieves. We all shared
information. If I was having difficulty with a particular car, sometimes I'd
dress up nicely and go to a dealer posing as a customer. I'd ask the
salesman how good the anti-theft system was on that car and he would give me
all the details.

Q. 7: What was your hijacking modus operandi?
Answer: We would get people in their driveways, on the way to work or on
their way home. Rainy weather is the best time to steal cars. When it's
raining it makes it more difficult for the tracking helicopters to find you.

Q. 8: In a hijacking did you normally go for soft targets like women?
Answer: No, I could take on anyone. I was a professional. Some people wore
guns but never got a chance to use them as I was too fast. I'd stick my gun
right in their faces and they wouldn't give me any trouble. That's why I
never shot or hurt anyone; I was against that. A friend of mine sometimes
shot people he hijacked and he used to wake up with nightmares.

Q. 9: Which area s did you target?
Answer: Any white suburb, it didn't matter. I never stole in the townships
because people were poor there. I also didn't rob black people.

Q 10: Is that because you don't like whites?
Answer: No, it's because darkies are dangerous. If you rob them, they go to
a sangoma who would "take care" of you.

Q. 11: How much money did you make?
Answer: A lot, but I wasted it all. It was easy come, easy go. Some money
would go to police and judges and prison officials in bribes. I got caught a
few times but was never convicted. Bribing a police officer to lose a docket
cost about R2 000 to R5 000. The only time I spent in jail was awaiting
trial. Then I'd bribe the prison guard to help me escape.

Q. 12: Is this the norm, or were you lucky?
Answer: I knew how to find the loopholes and beat the system. Some of my
friends were caught and convicted to 8 or 12 years or more.

Q. 13: What made you stop crime?
Answer: I saw I had nothing to show for all those years. I felt guilty for
what I'd done and wanted to achieve something in my life. That's why I do
community work persuading other people not to do crime, and I ' m also a
fashion designer. I ' m struggling with money now. My sewing machine broke
and I can't afford to fix it, but I won't go back to crime. That life is a
stupid life.

Q. 14: What is your advice to motorists to avoid hijacking?
Answer: Look out for people following you. Some hijackers spot a car they
want and follow the person home. Be aware. If you're suspicious, make a few
false turns and see if that car is still behind you. If it is, drive to a
police station.

Hi all

Function: CSF Benonni AGM
Date: 13th August 2008
Time: 19h00
Venue: Benoni Town Hall

All sectors and sector members are requested to attend, as well as all other
interested parties.

Let's have good representation from our sector!

Cheers for now

Clive

Stainless City (SA)(PTY)LTD
C/O Paul Smit & Tile Rd
Anderbolt
Boksburg-North
011 892-3955 Phone
011 892-3972 Fax
086 530 3416 Fax
082 555 0292 Cell

Please be on the lookout for stormwater drain covers being removed. This
is a perfect hideaway for hijackers. Notify the control room immediatly
if you notice this. It could save a life.