KNYSNA NEWS - While some homeowners have had flowers stolen from their garden beds around town, few would have expected a church to be on the receiving end of such theft. 

But, earlier this month that is exactly what happened when king proteas were stolen from a flower bed at the St George's Anglican Church.

The church prides itself on its garden and flower bed displays, always making sure they are in pristine condition. 

The church leaves its gates open on Main Road during the week for the public to be able stroll into and around its gardens to enjoy a bit of a break from the hustle and bustle, and to pray and meditate. 

They had been waiting for the flowers to bloom for six months before they were stolen.

To top it all off, it is suspected that the theft took place during a church service on Sunday 10 September. According to a sworn affidavit made at the Knysna Police Station on behalf of the church, it is suspected that the flowers were stolen some time between 08:15 and 09:30, which is when the service was held. 

"We saw a person in the [church] grounds when we went into the church after a memorial at our flag for Queen Elizabeth II, but did not apprehend him," the affidavit said.

"We try very hard to maintain the gardens for the public and keep them in great condition. We have various kinds of flowers and trees and we try to keep it as beautiful as possible. You could say the church maintains a sort of public garden for people to enjoy," said Father Rudy Laws, the rector at the church. "We are very involved in charitable causes, and actively do our best to support the poor, so it's quite sad when things like this happen."

Laws explained that it takes a very long time for king proteas to grow, and it took a very long time for these ones to flower. 

"So somebody just waited and then came and took them leaving behind only the bush," he said.

They have put certain measures in place to improve safety around the church, such as putting up its perimeter fence, but he said they wouldn't want to close off the grounds.

"We don't want to get to a point where we have to close the churchyard to the public. It's become a quiet place in a busy town, a place for people to come and find some peace."

Laws had a word of caution for the public. "People must help the poor, we must always do that, we must not harden our hearts to the poor. But we must also educate people to not buy flowers from people selling them on the streets because these flowers were likely taken from someone's garden. Rather assist them in other charitable ways."

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