I was robbed!

It is not often that I share my personal life here, but sometimes I have to, I guess for the same reason everybody shares their life here.
As some of you might know, I am currently on a contract in South Africa and the wife and I are based in Durban.
The wife and I thought it would be a nice thing to do before starting our own family and settling down for good.
But as some of you might know the crime in South Africa is slowly getting out of hand, but I have faith in the place, I see potential in people, I believe that it is not as bad as everybody thinks it is. I have faith in South Africa; I had faith, I had faith until last night...

A robber broke into the flat we are currently renting. He broke in while we were inside, sleeping.
He took jewelry, my laptop, my bag, my wallet, our mobile, (and more importantly my passport with my work permit in it).
The scary part is that he walked into the bedroom while we were sleeping and took my wife’s jewelry and her phone that was next to her bed, (she uses it as an alarm clock).
The phone was on her bible! Surely he must have paused for a second and thought that, somehow, this was wrong to still something off a bible!

He made some noise on the way out, he probably didn’t care anyway. I got up, not to sure what to do really, after a quick look around I knew he had gotten away. I knew that I was robbed and nothing would be done about it.

Sure, we called the police, but it took them 30 minutes to arrive, too long to catch a thief that had just jumped out of a window.
They were kind enough, and in the end, professional enough. But I knew it would not help.

Would it have happened in the UK?
Would the police have arrived any faster?
Are robbers brave enough as to walk into the very bedroom that people are in to rob them?

I now have to re-apply for a work permit, part of me wishes that they decline it for some silly backward reason.

Welcome to South Africa...

5:45 AM - 2/20/2007 - post comment

G'day, HOW DREADFUL TO BE VIOLATED.

I feel terribly sad for you, what a shock and to think he was so brazen and wandered around while you slept. What is going to become of this world? I know it will be hard for you and your wife to regain your faith in human kind again but take solace in the fact that the biggest majority of humanity is good...It's only the minority who tarnish and blemish the slate, unfortunately. At least he didn't harm you and at the end of the day although it is an inconvenience, the stuff he relieved you of, is only materialistic stuff and can be readily replaced. But your lives are not replaceable, so say a prayer and thank the powers that be for your good fortune not to be harmed. I hope you get all your paperwork sorted out and go on enjoying South Africa. God Bless you both. Lots of love ((((((HUGS)))))) and prayers from Dawnie.

DAWNIE - 2:08 PM - 2/20/2007

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