{"id":841582,"date":"2025-11-03T17:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-11-03T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=841582"},"modified":"2025-11-03T15:50:05","modified_gmt":"2025-11-03T13:50:05","slug":"criminals-are-after-homes-in-south-africa-with-these-high-value-items","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/business\/841582\/criminals-are-after-homes-in-south-africa-with-these-high-value-items\/","title":{"rendered":"Criminals are after homes in South Africa with these high-value items"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Criminal syndicates are are targeting high-end goods in South Africa, with owners of items like rare artworks, expensive jewellery and high-value items urged to take necessary precautions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

High-end goods theft has recently entered the news following the jewellery heist at the Louvre in Paris. Although the perpetrators have been caught, the missing jewels have not been found. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, this type of crime is not limited to international markets or Hollywood scripts; luxury crime is just as prevalent in South Africa.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor collectors, art lovers and owners of fine jewellery, the risk to high-value assets is not limited to museums or public institutions,\u201d said Tarina Vlok, MD of Elite Risk Acceptances, part of Old Mutual Insure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe same threats, theft, damage, or loss, apply to private collections, whether they\u2019re kept in safes at home, displayed on walls, worn, or loaned out for exhibition.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the town of Pringle Bay, Western Cape, thieves stole R1 million in art from the FOMO Fine Art Gallery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The thieves stole seven sculptures by renowned South African artists Anton Smit and Janko de Beer in a carefully planned heist. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The scale and precision of the theft suggested that these criminals were organised rather than opportunistic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is not the first time that South Africa has seen a major heist for luxury goods, and will not be the last. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2019, South Africa\u2019s richest man, Johann Rupert<\/a>, had over R300 million in luxury jewellery stolen from his warehouse.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vlok said that these cases are pointing to a growing sophistication in criminal networks targeting high-value possessions at private homes, galleries and museums<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although typical policies are designed to cover a home and its contents, there is sometimes limited coverage for valuable possessions that may be lost, stolen, or damaged. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSpeak to your broker or insurer to find out what is the best way to accommodate high-value items,\u201d said Vlok, noting that not all insurance policies provide the same level of coverage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She added that collectors face several risks when purchasing one-of-a-kind pieces, including damage during transit or from incidents involving fire, water or theft. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRemember too that you need to take adequate safety and security precautions around your home as theft of high-value items remains a significant threat in South Africa,\u201d said Vlok. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She noted that keeping collectable jewellery in safes is essential, as many insurers may also specify whether your home safe needs to be wall- or floor-mounted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to stay safe <\/h2>\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/a>
The FOMO Art Gallery was recently the victim of a heist<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Vlok said that there were several tips to help South Africans protect their high-value items. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • Avoid the temptation of undervaluing your jewellery or art collection in an attempt to save on the premium, as this can hurt in the claims stage.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Rare pieces of jewellery require insurance that covers a wide range of risks, including theft and damage. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Keep in mind that some art doesn\u2019t appreciate in value, but may still require insurance. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Make sure you take adequate steps to keep an item safe. If your jewellery items are kept in a bank vault, you may be eligible for a lower premium. Failure to comply may result in them not paying if you suffer a loss.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Have rare or high-value items appraised by a specialist. Without a valuation certificate, one runs the risk of no payout in the event of loss or damage.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • When buying collectable or rare pieces, insurers are likely going to need a certificate of provenance. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    She added that owners should ensure their security measures and insurance coverage truly reflect the value and risk profile of their collections\/ <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cThis is especially relevant as we approach silly season, where targeted crime and opportunism often go hand in hand.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cIt is important to remember that criminals take advantage of holiday goers, empty homes and relaxed vigilance during the festive season.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Jewel and art heists are not a thing of movies, with South Africa playing host to a rising trend in criminal syndicates going for high-value items in the country.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":841787,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9872],"tags":[23973,13151],"class_list":["post-841582","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","tag-elite-risk-acceptances-2","tag-old-mutual-insure"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/841582","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=841582"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/841582\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":841790,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/841582\/revisions\/841790"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/841787"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=841582"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=841582"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=841582"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}