On more or less a bi-monthly basis on either a Saturday or a Sunday, I would go down to a close-by shop where seemingly desperate men and women plead for day jobs.
Being a kind-hearted citizen, I would pick up one of these women (sorry, cannot say “ladies” any more), take her to my home to clean it, feed her and normally pay her more than what she would ask for a piece job, sometimes even extending the kindness to giving extra food and so on.
Of late I very seldom wore my wedding ring because one hears these horror stories of jewellery being stolen from your person. My ring(s) were actually stolen by one of these women I so trustingly took into my home!
While they were working, I never peeked over their shoulders, I never hovered over them, I tried to show trust because this is important in the new South Africa! My reward for this was being stolen from, in daylight, in my own home!
What was stolen was all my most expensive jewellery which was in my wardrobe, while lots of cheaper fake pearls, beads and costume jewellery were strewn all over my dressing table and were left untouched.
I have been married for 45 years, so you can imagine how devastated I am! My engagement/wedding ring, an anniversary ring with eight diamonds given to me by my husband when we were married for 25 years, a little friendship ring with little diamonds from a very good friend, also given to me probably 20 years ago, a gold charm bracelet which was given to me as a gift with charms from friends and family which included charms such as a high-heel shoe, a racquet, a fork, knife and spoon, Snoopy, a money bag, a dove, heart and cross and quite a few more, as well as a pair of small Creole-type earrings, given to me by another friend just before she passed away from breast cancer, 12 years ago.
You will understand that although all of these have monetary value they are of much, much more sentimental value!
I urge readers to be on the lookout for especially my wedding ring as it is quite distinct: a square ring, quite big as I have big hands, with a wide band and one half-carat diamond as well as a smaller one of 0.05 carat. I would so love to get it back! The others, well I doubt it. The thing is, all of this could have been sold or pawned for next to nothing and where do I start looking?
I have many words to describe my feelings: anger (both at this woman and myself for having been so trusting and stupid), disillusionment, sadness, bitterness, betrayal, humiliation and so on.
For future reference: I cannot and will not ever let one of these women into my house again. How can I? And my deeds of kindness will be redirected as there are many, many poor and sick people who need it as much as them.
Angered and disappointed
People with any information regarding the jewellery, can forward details to cvdwalt@caxton.co.za.
