Story highlights
NEW: The teen heartthrob has had a tour full of controversy and troubles
Thieves broke into a South Africa stadium after Justin Bieber performed, police say
They likely broke through a bathroom roof to access the area, police spokesman says
The thieves stole millions of rand from a walk-in safe, police say
With an international tour at an end, Justin Bieber told his millions of fans he’s gonna “chill” for a bit. You can’t blame the guy.
Seems as if trouble and controversy have followed him everywhere as he made his way across Europe and Africa.
No wonder he tweeted Monday: “Glad to chill for a few days. gonna take it easy. that was an amazing tour. thanks to all the fans around the world. #grateful to all of u.”
The latest incident didn’t directly involve the pop star but occurred just after the singer entertained 95,000 Beliebers at a stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Thieves broke into a safe and stole millions of rand, the equivalent of more than $110,000, South African police said.
So you can’t blame that one on the Bieber, but it’s just one more negative press item in a tour that had its share of them.
Within the past few months, his bus was searched (yes, a musician’s bus was searched!) in Sweden, he left a widely panned message in the guest book at the Anne Frank House in the Netherlands, and he ended up in the hospital after one show and showed up late for another in England.
Have we forgotten anything?
Oh yeah, a concert-goer in Dubai rushed the stage and tried to grab him. Security took care of the interloper.
And the monkey. He surrendered his young monkey to the authorities in Germany. It appears Mally the monkey will stay at the shelter where it is being kept, Billboard reported Monday.
Bieber comes back to the States with an unresolved battery case in which a neighbor told police the pop star spit on him and threatened him. CNN affiliate KTLA reported the man wanted to discuss how fast the singer was driving in their tony neighborhood. And KTLA said last week the district attorney in Los Angeles is deciding whether to prosecute Bieber for the March incident, which occurred while he was on a tour break.
Police: Thieves lowered themselves into room with rope
The incident in South Africa took place after Soccer City, also known as the FNB Stadium, hosted rocker Bon Jovi on Saturday night and Bieber on Sunday night.
“That was a show! 95000 strong! #SoldOutStadium . Thank u Johannesburg!” Bieber tweeted after the concert, the last stop on his international “Believe” tour.
South African police said thieves scaled down a rope into a stadium in Johannesburg and stole the contents of a walk-in safe.
Employees had put the money in the safe after the concert Sunday night, said Lt. Col. Katlego Mogale, a spokesman for Gauteng police.
When they came in Monday morning, they found the safe had been broken into, Mogale said.
“The intruders broke through the roof of the bathroom nearby, and there is evidence that they gained entry by abseiling down to gain access to the strong room,” Mogale said.
Police were studying closed-circuit TV footage Tuesday for clues as they investigate the theft, he said. Mogale said it was a break-in rather than a heist, as some media have reported.
Soccer City, site of the 2010 World Cup final, is the largest stadium in Africa.
CNN’s Kim Norgaard reported from Johannesburg and Laura Smith-Spark wrote in London.