VEHICLE STOLEN FROM TURFFONTEIN CAR PARK

Next time you go to a Turffontein meeting ,don,t think your vehicle will be safe parked in the designated parking areas.
I attended last Saturday's meeting and parked in the Marble Arch parking area - supposedly designated for Racing Association members,of which I am a Life Member. I left the racecourse just after the 9th race and found my vehicle missing. All security systems in the vehicle were active.The Security Guard was on duty at the gate and a Guard was roaming.NO ONE saw anything. The vehicle was parking under trees a mere 30 metres from the manned gate.
I went and reported the theft to the Security Office. a certain CORNE accompanied me back to the car park and I was made aware of Security cameras positioned in the car park. I requested to view the footage so I could advise the Police of the time of the theft. I parked at 11:15 before the 1st race.
After repeated requests I finally got an S M S late on Monday 16th saying that a report had been handed to the Security Company.
I phoned the Racing Association offices early on Monday morning and spoke to Vannessa. I Told her of the theft and asked her to advise the relevant people including Larry Wainstein that a theft had taken place and to check their security in the area.To date no one has bothered to contact me.
I received a call from a lady this afternoon (18th) from the Security company. She had been asked by Mr. Clyde Basel ( why could he not phone ?), to phone and advise me that the camera covering where my vehicle was parked was OUT OF ORDER . What a LAME excuse . Surely these things are checked periodically. I had heard previous to this incident that the Race Course Security Budget has been cut drastically.
While waiting for a lift to the nearest Police Station I wandered around the Car park, which was still quite full as the 10th race was still to run. Over 70 % of the vehicles in the park were not displaying the Racing association badges -- but this is a designated R. A. Car park !!!. Hence it is easy for people just to come in , park next to you and do the necessary to the Ignition and drive out with your vehicle. No body ever stops you on the way out to see that you have in fact got keys in your ignition.There were some very expensive vehicles in the car park on Saturday.
So where do I park this Saturday ? or do I stop attending meetings , in fear of losing another vehicle, and do as so many others are doing, slowly reduce my investment in Racehorses and find a new hobby on Race days.

PLEASE , Phumelela and The Racing Association ,get rid of the HANGER'S- ON and employ new and competant people and try to RE FLOAT this SINKING SHIP
BY the way the vehicle has not been recovered.

Was a charity raceday on Saturday, maybe the parking restrictions were laxed?

Hope it’s resolved soon!

Tonyj my sincere sympathies regarding the lose of your car. I have had two vehicles stolen during my lifetime, one outside a school during a sports meeting and the other in the Joburg CBD. Its not a pleasant experience and regardless of whether you are insured or not, you always end up financially compromised.

I was interested to read that the security budget was cut. That really surprises me as I am told that Recall Security had lost their contract with Phumelela. Now Recall was owned by a guy who owned horses, some good ones too, I cant recall his name. The company that replaced Recall is called SW Security and I am reliably informed that the Phumelela COO and Financial director, a Mr Andreas Heide, is/was a director of this company. I kid you not.

www.securitysa.com/56018n

Over the Air wrote: Tonyj my sincere sympathies regarding the lose of your car. I have had two vehicles stolen during my lifetime, one outside a school during a sports meeting and the other in the Joburg CBD. Its not a pleasant experience and regardless of whether you are insured or not, you always end up financially compromised.

I was interested to read that the security budget was cut. That really surprises me as I am told that Recall Security had lost their contract with Phumelela. Now Recall was owned by a guy who owned horses, some good ones too, I cant recall his name. The company that replaced Recall is called SW Security and I am reliably informed that the Phumelela COO and Financial director, a Mr Andreas Heide, is/was a director of this company. I kid you not.

OTA,I think the guy that owned Recall was Albert Boshoff if I'm not mistaken.

Felix wrote:

Over the Air wrote: Tonyj my sincere sympathies regarding the lose of your car. I have had two vehicles stolen during my lifetime, one outside a school during a sports meeting and the other in the Joburg CBD. Its not a pleasant experience and regardless of whether you are insured or not, you always end up financially compromised.

I was interested to read that the security budget was cut. That really surprises me as I am told that Recall Security had lost their contract with Phumelela. Now Recall was owned by a guy who owned horses, some good ones too, I cant recall his name. The company that replaced Recall is called SW Security and I am reliably informed that the Phumelela COO and Financial director, a Mr Andreas Heide, is/was a director of this company. I kid you not.

OTA,I think the guy that owned Recall was Albert Boshoff if I'm not mistaken.

one of the nicest guys you'll meet - but if you see him you will think he's a Springbok lock -

My company , Catchem CCTV installed the cams a good few years ago, when David Attenborough was running things. The cams viewing the RA parking area ( marble arch) are connected via line of site wireless tx to the top of the main grandstand and then cabled down to the Control Room. There is a 24 hour monitoring system in the control room, which also includes all TAB branches. We built that Control Room. When we had the maintenance contract, we had to guarantee a turn around time of 24 hours on any faults. This was by strict order from Willie Vrey; the senior in charge of Security, who has since been retrenched. Albert Boshoff ran Recall and they were streets ahead of anybody out there. I was glad to intro them to many of my clients.
However, what is and isn't nowadays, I do not know...

What I do know is that Recall would have been determined to find the footage on the cams, would probably not have let the car be stolen in the first place, (like at Vaal when their guy locked the main gate and arrested a thief before he could exit) and would have led the investigation....

Tony J.

Sorry to hear about this , Not the first time and will not be the last time. My car had its whole ignition removed which I had to replace the lock and dash board.

What also does not surprise me : -

- supposedly designated for Racing Association members,of which I am a Life Member. - That's your Thank You .

- To date no one has bothered to contact me. - I would not hold your breath for a phone call

This is where we are - Its not a privilege to be a RA member or an Owner , Gone are the days where you are looked after and treated with respect. A badge is just a Badge nothing more nothing less.

Sorry to hear and big Albert was on the ball

It is a horrible feeling when your car gets stolen. It is worse when you know it was stolen from a secured area that is supposed to have cctv and the presence of private security. You get angry when you get no sympathy call from those who you have supported and control the parking area. You soon realise that wearing the RA badge and parking in a specially allocated area makes you no different to anyone else. You are just another name and number. Welcome to the real world.

Yes that's the guy he owned Via Africa and sold a horse that got beat a shd in the Dubai big race.

Tonyj reading what Louisg has to say about the cctv equipment, surely you should have a word with Heide and get him to pay your excess? I am glad to see that these guys are not only incompetent in running the horse racing business, they cant even make sure cameras are working. What's the bet they don't have a maintenance schedule due to cost cutting exercises.

Guy Fawkes day Gosforth Park 1985, Eviva Espana downed I think Eileen Alanna in the Lancome Fillies. A good day backing the winner and more. End of the day car was stolen. Cried.


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