Casino robbery has taken crime to a new level, says business
March 07, 2006 Edition 1
Chris Jenkins
Saturday night's assault on the Tusk Umfolozi Casino in Empangeni has added a new dimension to organised crime in the province, and particularly in smaller, possibly more vulnerable towns.
Formal business in the Empangeni/Richards Bay area said the robbery had taken crime to a new level. The involvement of such a large gang of robbers - 17 in all according to the police - was "scary", one prominent businessman said.
Police and casino management said the robbery had been well planned.
The assailants were heavily armed and fired shots into the packed gambling hall to terrify patrons, several of whom were robbed of money, cellphones and jewellery.
This in addition to about R1 million, according to the police, being taken from the casino cash office.
Mike Patterson, Chairman of the Empangeni division of the Zululand Chamber of Business, said business appeared to have become a soft target for criminals, who carried out their robberies in a confident manner "with absolute certainty that they will not meet with any resistance from their victims who live in fear of such events".
