Despite acting Police MInister Cachalia, together with his top police brass enjoying breakfast in Laudium recently and the usual ‘political’ promises being made to the gathering of ANC supporters, that the concerns of the community regarding crime would be addressed, criminals continue to freely walk the streets of Laudium, attacking businesses and homes.
The visit by the ANC’s Firoz Cachalia was seen by many as an election exercise to promote the ANC, as community leaders believed to be supporters of rival political parties were excluded at the breakfast meeting.
This follows yet another week with an incident of armed robbery being reported to the Laudium Sun by concerned residents, to inform other residents of the crime situation in the area.
The robbery took place last Friday afternoon at around 2:30pm, when two armed Black males pounced on the well-known Eezy Clean shop on 9th Avenue, in the Laudium CBD. The thugs managed to get away with their loot without being spotted by the police or the CPF Patrollers, after pointing firearms at the cashier and demanding all the cash from the till.
Mohammed Yaseen, the owner of Eezy Clean, told the Laudium Sun, “I was not in the shop when the robbery took place. My staff member was in the shop at the time and it was a really horrible experience for him. Fortunately, there were no customers in the shop when the two thugs entered. One of the thugs approached him and asked about cleaning materials. My worker then went to show him the cleaning materials in the shop. While he was doing that, the situation suddenly flipped. The other armed thug closed the main front door from inside the shop and they both tied my worker up. They then went to the till and took all the money that was there. The whole incident happened very quickly and from what my worker told me, it took less than five minutes before the thugs ran away from the shop. It was a terrifying experience for my worker. Although the thugs did not physically hurt him, he is still traumatised by what happened. He told me that at one point, he thought he was going to die. I am just grateful that he was not physically injured and that the thugs eventually left the shop without causing further harm. As a business owner, this robbery is extremely concerning. We work hard every day to run our business and serve the community, but incidents like this make you worried about the safety of your workers and your customers. No one should have to go through such an experience while simply doing their job. People are afraid to walk freely in the Laudium CBD and also to run a business here, as we are all worried about becoming victims of crime. I hope security will be increased in the area and that the SAPS will conduct regular patrols around 9th Avenue and other parts of Laudium. Each week we read in the Laudium Sun about crime in Laudium and residents calling for more police patrols, but nothing is being done about it. We need stronger police visibility and more action to make business owners, workers and residents feel safe again. I hope something can be done before another business or resident becomes a victim.”
Sunil Tricam of 9th Avenue, told the Laudium Sun, “The crime is way too much in our area and to be honest, this place does not feel safe anymore. We have seen crime increasing significantly and it seems to be happening more frequently. Residents are becoming increasingly worried about what could happen to them, their families and their property. There are serious security lapses in our area and this needs to be addressed before the situation gets even worse. People should not have to live with the constant fear that criminals could target them at any time. We should be able to walk through our streets, visit local businesses and go about our daily lives without feeling that we are vulnerable. What concerns me most is that residents feel as though their safety is not being taken seriously enough. If there is no proper security visibility, criminals become more confident and continue targeting residents and businesses. It is so frustrating when people in the community raise concerns about crime but still feel that their concerns are not taken seriously. There were promises made by the politicians that there would be CCTV cameras mounted in the CBD. What has happened about that? We cannot simply sit back and watch Laudium deteriorate. Police and community structures need to work together and respond effectively to the concerns being raised by residents. The robbery at Eezy Clean is another reminder of how quickly criminals can target a business. A worker was simply doing his job when he was confronted by armed suspects. These incidents do not only result in financial losses; they also leave workers, business owners and residents feeling frightened and uncertain about their safety. We need to get serious about tackling crime in Laudium. There must be better security measures, more manpower and regular patrols in areas where businesses and residents are vulnerable. SAPS and the CPF should work closely with the community instead of only becoming involved after an incident has already happened. I believe residents also have an important role to play by reporting suspicious activity and supporting efforts to improve safety. However, the authorities must provide the necessary resources and ensure that there are enough officers and patrols on the ground.”
Rushi Maharaj, also of 9th Avenue, told the Laudium Sun, ”We cannot allow criminals to dictate how we live in our own areas. People deserve to feel secure in their homes, on the streets and at their workplaces. Laudium is our community and we all want to see it become safer. We need real action, stronger co-operation between SAPS, the CPF and residents and enough manpower to make a meaningful difference. Crime should not become something that people simply accept as part of everyday life.”
There has been no statement from the head of the Laudium CPF, Zahid ul-Zama, with regards to the armed robbery, as he seems to be more occupied with promoting the ANC and Cllr Naeem Patel.