It was the World Cup incident that those British tabloid journalists were hoping would happen.
It took place on a quiet weekday afternoon, a few days after the kick-off of the biggest sporting event Africa has ever hosted, in the posh Pretoria suburb of Waterkloof.
A group of unknown men pulled up at The Waterhouse, an upmarket guesthouse where Ghanaian President John Atta Mills and his delegation were staying.
The head of state and his entourage were holding a meeting across the road at the Cricklewood guesthouse and had left their luggage in the Waterhouse reception area. It was too early to check in and the bags were too heavy to be carried around.
Within minutes, the luggage had vanished.
“They were to-ing and fro-ing between the two guesthouses,” said the manager at The Waterhouse, Ronel Joubert. “Somehow a group of men slipped in and we thought they were part of the delegation. They loaded the bags in the car, including my laptop, and quietly left.”
The fact that this happened really isn’t such a surprise. What really is startling is that it was kept quiet for so long.
Amanor Mante, a Ghanaian embassy official, said this week: “The police were there, but we haven’t heard anything from them since. We’ve accepted the stuff is gone.”
So where were the police and what is happening with the investigation?
Police spokespeople said they knew nothing about the incident and referred us to other spokespeople, who told the Mail & Guardian to send an email.
The Ghanaian embassy has shrugged off the incident, accepting that this is how it goes here. There’s no need to make a fuss and burn diplomatic bridges — or give satisfaction to the British tabloid press.