Despite a misleading post by ANC Cllr Naeem Patel that the ANC-led Tshwane Council has the ‘situation under control’ concerning the Council’s failure to renew the October contract for the hiring of private security guards, meant to guard the various Council owned properties in and around Laudium and elsewhere, there is clearly a disruption of services.
The ANC-led Tshwane Council has now closed a number of its facilities, following an order by the Council’s Community Safety Department on October 1, for all private security personnel to remove themselves, with immediate effect, from the various Council facilities that they were guarding. Many residents told the Laudium Sun that Council services are now restricted, seemingly due to the non-renewal of the guarding contract by the Council. Residents claim that the Council’s payment office in the Laudium CBD has stopped accepting cash since the guards were told to go. Residents have also complained of the public swimming pool being closed, while local residents visiting the Rebecca Str Cemetery said that they found the cemetery closed. Residents visiting the Laudium Cemetery say that they have seen an increase in the number of vagrants at the cemetery since the guards have left. Some residents also said that they have seen an increase in the number of wild dogs coming to the cemetery ‘scratching’ at the graves.
Although the guards worked at a few of the sites during the first few days of October, with the hope that the ‘impasses’ between their companies and the Council would be resolved, these guards were finally forced to leave since this past Monday as the contracts were still not renewed.
Faizel Moosa of the PMT Burial Committee told the Laudium Sun, “We have received complaints about an increase in the number of vagrants harassing residents at the Laudium Cemetery. We appeal to residents not to go alone to the cemetery and we are asking the private security and the police to beef up patrols in the area. Although the Metro Police have been tasked to patrol the area, their regular patrols are yet to be seen. We just hope that we do not have a similar problem like we faced not long ago, whereby taps, lights and brass grave nameplates were stolen.”
Pastor Kevin Naicker of the Bethesda Revival Church on Primrose Street, Laudium, which is adjacent to the cemetery, told the Laudium Sun, “It is deeply disappointing and concerning to learn that there are currently no security guards stationed at the Laudium Cemetery. The absence of security at such an important public facility raises serious concerns about the safety and protection of everyone who uses the cemetery, as well as the surrounding church premises. Laudium Cemetery is a place where families come to mourn and lay their loved ones to rest. Funerals and memorial services sometimes take place during late afternoons or at night, making a proper security presence even more important. Without security personnel stationed at the entrance of the cemetery, surrounding areas become more vulnerable to criminal activities, vandalism, theft, and other incidents that could place visitors and nearby properties at risk. Given the level of crime and security concerns in our community, security at the cemetery should never be regarded as optional. A visible and reliable security presence can serve as an important deterrent to criminal activity and provide reassurance to families, church members, funeral attendees, and other members of the community who use the facility. The cemetery is also situated close to our church premises and the lack of security creates additional concerns for the safety of our congregation, staff, visitors, and property. We cannot afford to wait until a serious incident of crime occurs before action is taken. I therefore strongly appeal to the relevant authorities, Municipal officials, and those responsible for the security arrangements to treat this matter as urgent. Immediate steps should be taken to ensure that properly trained security personnel are deployed and maintained at the cemetery entrance, particularly during times when funerals and other services are taking place. The safety and protection of our community must be a priority. Families should be able to visit the cemetery, attend funerals, and pay respects to their loved ones without fear or unnecessary risk. Safety must always come first.”
Morris Mathale, a casual worker at the Laudium Cemetery, told the Laudium Sun, “I can confirm that there are no more security guards at the cemetery. What I have heard is that the contracts for the security guards have not been renewed by the Council. I hope the security guards will return to the cemetery soon, as their presence is important for the safety and security of the premises and the people who visit the cemetery. The absence of security guards is concerning, especially because the cemetery is a place that is regularly visited by members of the community, including families attending funerals and visiting the graves of their loved ones. We hope that the matter will be resolved soon and that security services will be restored as soon as possible.”
Alex Abrahams of Primrose Street, told the Laudium Sun, “I believe we need security at the cemetery because of the growing level of craziness and people doing things they should not be doing. We have seen people vandalising tombstones and doing strange and disrespectful things at the graves. That is why we definitely need security, especially to protect this place at night. I have also seen dogs coming into the cemetery at night and running around. In the past, the security guard used to chase them away and make sure they did not remain inside the cemetery. There is a pack of wild dogs that live in the street down by us and these dogs often come into the cemetery. I am concerned that if there is no security, these dogs could start smelling things from the graves and may begin digging into them. This is something that should not be allowed to happen, as it is disrespectful to the deceased and distressing for their families. I saw the other night that the security guard was chasing the same pack of about five or six dogs that had entered the cemetery. This showed me how important it is to have someone there to monitor the area, especially at night. That is why I strongly believe that security should be restored at the cemetery as soon as possible.”
Grave digger at the Laudium Cemetery, Joshua Seleka, told the Laudium Sun, “The security guards are not here anymore because their job contract ended. That’s all I can comment so far and beyond that I’m not entitled to comment further.”
Assistant at the Council’s office at the Laudium Civic Centre, Caroline Modiba, told the Laudium Sun, “I’m not sure exactly why there are no security guards. I haven’t seen the security guards at the Civic Centre for the past three days.”
Caroline confirmed that the office in Laudium was not accepting cash from residents making their Municipal payments…
Despite the ANC in Tshwane ‘messing up’ in service delivery, they are still asking residents to vote for them in the forthcoming local government elections & give them another 5 years to ‘run the city.’