Erasmia, a neighbour to Laudium, is also facing a serious crime problem, despite many sections in the area being closed with security gates and even walled off.
In addition, similar to Laudium, having the Itireleng informal settlement at its door step, Erasmia now also faces a rapidly growing informal settlement, near the ‘cheese shop’. What is very disappointing, is that despite his dismal failure in working with the Laudium Police to bring down crime in Laudium, the ANC’s Shaheen Wahab was appointed as CPF head of the neighbouring policing areas, including Erasmia. Seeing the latest round of police corruption at senior levels of the force, many are wondering just how Shaheen got the appointment. Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, the ANC-led Tshwane Council is simply ignoring the illegal influx into Erasmia, despite the area having many illegal foreigners living there, which has caused a number of local residents to move out, fearing an increase of crime in the area. This follows yet another armed robbery in Erasmia’s residential area, with three armed thugs posing as customers storming into a business last Thursday evening (July 31), just past 7pm.
While one of the armed thugs held the owner at gunpoint, the other thugs helped themselves to expensive cigarette cartons, demanded all the cash and even stole the owner’s cellphone, before making their getaway in an awaiting light blue hatchback with no number plates.
Surprisingly, despite announcements made by the Erasmia CPF, which sadly falls under the eye of the ANC’S Shaheen Wahab, that they were patrolling the streets of Erasmia, neither the CPF, nor private security or police, spotted the armed gang entering or leaving the area.
Crime victim, Shadad Hussain, the owner of Erasmia Cafe on Bodenstein Street in Erasmia, told the Laudium Sun, “I was doing business as usual, like any other day on Thursday evening. At around 7:30pm, three guys entered my shop posing as customers and asked for cigarettes. Suddenly, one of them pointed a gun at me and demanded all the expensive cartons of cigarettes, which are worth about R15,000, along with R5,000 in cash and my cellphone, a Redmi Note 11 worth R7,000. In total, I lost around R27,000. They left behind some cheap cigarette packets. I was extremely traumatized because I was held at gunpoint and feared for my life. I truly thought they were going to shoot me. Luckily, they didn’t and no one was injured. I was alone in the shop at the time and it was a very scary moment for me. Crime in Erasmia has increased very much and it is extremely dangerous to run a business here. The police are not doing their job, we don’t see any patrol cars in the area and criminals are operating freely in open spaces without being stopped. This must come to an end. We are businesspeople trying to earn an honest living. If crime doesn’t decrease, it will become very difficult to operate a business in Erasmia.”
Alli Haider, a resident of Bodenstein Street in Erasmia, told the Laudium Sun, “I heard about the robbery that took place at Erasmia Cafe, and it’s really disturbing. Crime in Erasmia has reached an extremely high level and it’s not slowing down. Many businesses in Erasmia are shutting down because of the crime rate and our law enforcement continues to fail us again and again. We’re truly tired of the crime in Erasmia, we need protection at all costs. We can’t continue living like this. We’re being victimised, and no one seems to be paying attention. This is unacceptable, and it must stop immediately.”
Ashfaque Ukaye, another resident of Bodenstein Street, told the Laudium Sun, “Crime is increasing every single day and nothing seems to be done about it. We recently heard about the robbery at Erasmia Cafe, but there are many other robberies happening as
well. We only find out about them through the Laudium Sun because people often prefer to
stay silent and don’t inform the community. This crime wave must stop. If it doesn’t, we’re going to face serious challenges to our safety and existence here in Erasmia and Laudium.”
