Looters strip Fish River Resort

Vehicles with trailers were used to load milions of rands worth of goods from the Fish River Resort in a massive looting spree during the weekend. South African Police Service spokesperson Brigadier Thembinkosi Kinana said items stolen from the resort included stoves, fridges, television sets, and IT equipment.

Kinana said it was alleged that during a daytime burglary on Saturday April 28, every room of the resort was burgled and many items stolen.

“It is further alleged that vehicles with trailers were used to load items from the resort,” Kinana said. “The office areas were also broken into and all computers and projectors stolen. A Quantum minibus was completely stripped on the premises. The damage incurred including the stolen property is estimated to be millions of rands.”

Some of the stolen items had been recovered hidden in nearby bushes.

After receiving a tipoff, police arrested a woman in Mpekweni with suspected stolen property taken from the resort. The village of Mpekweni (i.e. not the resort of the same name) is just over 2km inland from the Fish River Resort. The woman, in her late 20s, will appear in the Peddie magistrate’s court on Tuesday, May 2, 2023 on a charge of possession of suspected stolen property.

Further arrests were anticipated, Kinana said.

Police have urged second-hand dealers and community members to be observant when approached to buy items that could be among those stolen last weekend.

“Buying stolen property is an offence and anyone who receives stolen property may be charged and prosecuted,” Kinana said. “We appeal to communities to assist in tracing those involved in the theft by reporting them to the police. All information supplied is confidential and callers may remain anonymous.”

A case of burglary business was under investigation, Kinana said.

He said security guards had since been posted to guard the premises.

The resort belongs to the Prudhoe Trust following a 22-and-a-half-year struggle. This came after The Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) in June 2020 upheld the landmark decision by the Land Claims Court to award a large portion of land, including the Fish River resort, to the Prudhoe community.

This time last year, digital asset exchange Forus announced an investment of R500 million to upgrade the resort, including the creation of the world-class Fish River Studios. The repurposing of the site was set to unlock a new revenue stream for the site, as well as the community and surrounding areas. June 2022 saw the shooting of Survivor SA Season 9 shot at the resort.

But the plan was marred barely two months later by a group seeking direct and immediate benefits, who occupied the resort and forcibly evicted 48 members of an international film crew. The company managing the facility were eventually unable to meet their financial commitment to the Prudhoe Trust and were forced to abandon it.

The Legal Resources Centre was instrumental in securing the land claim for the Prudhoe community and in facilitating negotiations with investors to maintain the facility as an asset for the region.

Commenting on news of the weekend looting, Regional Director of the Legal Resource Centre (LRC) Cameron McConnachie said the LRC was extremely saddened by the theft and destruction at the Fish River Resort.

“Many stakeholders have tried to assist with securing the property since the previous tenant could not fulfil their obligations and abandoned the site with no protection from thieves. Attempts to find a new tenant to run the property have been unsuccessful, but will continue despite this setback,” McConnachie said.

Full story and pictures in tomorrow’s Daily Dispatch and follow-up in Talk of the Town on Thursday.