By Tim Binnall
A strange mystery has gripped a South African town after sticky-fingered miscreants made off with the community's unlikely mascot: a mannequin dubbed 'Beverly.' The endearing doll, seen below, was reportedly placed in a dam on the outskirts of Nieu-Bethesda around two years ago by local artist Ryno Greef. Since being installed in the pool of water, the mannequin became a beloved presence in the community as she amusingly welcomed visitors to the town. However, sadness descended upon Nieu-Bethesda this past weekend when residents woke up to discover that Beverly was gone.
"It's an absolute tragedy, I must say," Greef mused, lamenting that the mannequin "brought joy to so many people and travelers" as Beverly has been frequently featured on social media as a surprising symbol of the community. The Nieu-Bethesda Tourism Organization echoed Greef's consternation over the doll's disappearance on social media. "Beverly isn't just any mannequin," the group declared in detailing the unfortunate turn of events, "she's been a quirky, much-loved part of our little town's charm."
As for who could have taken the Nieu-Bethesda icon, Greef indicated that the case has far more questions than answers. "We don't know if it was malicious; we don't know if it was somebody making a joke," he explained, "we've got no idea, we've got no ransom note, we don't know anything." Because a heavy concrete base kept the mannequin in place, the artist speculated that "it would have had to have been a group of people" behind her disappearance. That said, their motive and Beverly's whereabouts remain a mystery.
Having sounded the alarm over Beverly being stolen, the town's tourism organization hopes that someone will come forward with information that will lead to the doll returning to her rightful place in the dam. To that end, Greef expressed hope that the heat surrounding the weird heist will lead to the perpetrators depositing the mannequin "somewhere else," as sometimes happens when such thefts receive considerable publicity. Should the stolen doll not be recovered, the artist said, "we probably will end up putting another mannequin in there, but there is only one Beverley."