Despite claims by the Erasmia CPF that they are patrolling the residential area of Erasmia, crime continues, leaving residents feeling helpless.
To add to the woes is the burgeoning squatter camp nearby, where a number of illegal foreigners are believed to be living. Shockingly, part of the area where the squatters are living, has been identified by the ANC Ward Councillor to be incorporated into the Laudium/Erasmia Ward, in order to boost his chances of being re-elected.
This follows yet another house break-in, in Erasmia. The incident took place last Friday evening (Sept 5) at around 7:30pm, shortly after the family left the house.
According to reports two thieves, believed to be African males, broke the front main gate lock and gained access to the yard. They then entered the home through the kitchen, by breaking open the back sliding door at the residence on Van Leenhof Street, Erasmia.
Muzaffar Hussain, the owner of the targeted Van Leenhof Street home, told the Laudium Sun, “We were not at home when the incident took place. When we returned, I immediately noticed that the front main gate lock had been broken and the gate left open. As I walked into the yard, I saw that the kitchen sliding door was also broken. The thieves had gained access to my house through the kitchen door. I immediately asked my neighbours if they noticed anyone suspicious and they said that they saw two Black men in my yard, but because it was dark, they could not confirm clearly who it was. When we entered our house, we realised that a number of items were missing. The thieves stole some household
goods and kitchen utensils, as they could not get access to the other rooms, which were locked. Crime in Erasmia is out of control. There are no patrollers protecting our area and it’s becoming very scary. Almost every day there is a break-in happening here. This needs to stop. We cannot continue living in fear, like this. When we go out, we want do so with peace of mind, not constantly worrying about what will happen to our homes. Break-ins
have become the new norm and are increasing rapidly. We need better law enforcement to protect our families and our community. Surprisingly, no one in the area saw these thieves entering the area or leaving with all the goods stolen.”
Mohamed Amod, another resident of Van Leenhof Street, told the Laudium Sun, “The break-ins on our street are increasing, so much so, that we are now living in constant fear of leaving our houses unattended. All this needs to stop. We must do something about it. There are no police patrols on our street and we never see a police van in our area. This is really sad, because we depend on the police to protect our community. But how can we depend on something that doesn’t even exist anymore? Corruption in this country is too high and if things continue this way, criminals will surely take over our society and we won’t be able to do anything about it.”
Satish Pillay, also of Van Leenhof Street, told the Laudium Sun, “I heard about the break-in on our street and it’s becoming scarier every day. The criminals are slowly taking over our area and the CPF and police are not doing enough to stop them. The police really need to wake up and do their job, because if we don’t act soon, it may become too dangerous to live in Erasmia. We may even have to consider relocating, as crime in our area is really becoming unbearable.”
