Armed gang beat up mother & kids… Time for Shaheen & Naeem to beat out… as thugs’ bush route in Ext 3 still remains open

Calls are mounting for both Cllr Naeem Patel from the ANC and Ldm CPF Chair Shaheen Wahab also of the ANC, to start delivering on their promises to serve the best interests of the community, or else resign.

The pair who seem to have ‘captured’ many local organisations in the Laudium/Erasmia area, have not only failed the community, but are seen to have been dividing the community according to political lines. Despite the pair going on a vigorous drive to promote themselves, taking selfies of themselves, it is evident that the pair is losing credibility within the community, as crime and grime continues in the area. The pair have, to this day, not challenged their ‘captured’ friends, concerning the ongoing crime in the area, including a security company being paid by residents to patrol the area, especially the gated areas, the CPF Patrollers (funded by the Gauteng Government and the community) and the about 30 Gauteng Wardens posted exclusively for the Laudium Police Precinct, who have been allocated a BMW and another vehicle by the ANC Gauteng Premier.

One of the main concerns which residents in Ext 3 have been raising for years, is the open area from Laudium Ext 3 leading into Itireleng and Atterdgeville, which residents say is used by criminals to attack them. Despite pleading with both Shaheen and Naeem to attend to their concerns, the problem continues, while the pair is focusing on trying to promote themselves.

This follows a Bengal Str family in Laudium Ext 3, being attacked at gunpoint and beaten up, last Thursday evening (October 9) at around 7pm. According to reports, six armed thugs, who came from the open bush area leading from Itireleng and Atterigeville, accosted the owner of the Bengal Str home, Laeeq Hartzenberg. who was outside his home at the time. The thugs then forced Laeeq into his house and demanded valuables from the family, severely assaulting his wife and three children, who were subsequently hospitalised. The thugs managed to drive off freely with a number of valuables including, two of the family vehicles, cash and cell phones. Yet, none of the patrollers including the police spotted the thugs driving away in the stolen vehicles. As usual, the CPF gave a statement that they were at the scene, after the fact, without explaining what exactly they were doing there besides chit chatting and taking photos.

Cassim Brenner who lives with the family and is the brother of Laeeq, explained further to the Laudium Sun, “I was not in the house when the incident happened, but according to what I heard from my brother, there were six Black African males standing in front of our house. They approached my brother, who was outside and pointed a gun at him, demanding that he hand over the keys to the two bakkies. Out of fear for his life, my brother handed over the keys to the vehicles, without any resistance. The thugs then forced their way into the house, shouting and threatening everyone inside. As soon as they entered, they demanded money from my family. My brother’s wife and three children were inside the house at the time, utterly terrified. The thugs then started beating them badly, while demanding to know where the cash and valuables were kept. They turned the house upside down, breaking cupboards and scattering our belongings all over the floor. It was a very traumatic experience for my family, especially for the children, who are still in shock after what they went through. The thugs then grabbed four expensive cell phones and cash that was in the bakkie and drove away with both the white Toyota bakkies. My brother tried shouting for help, but by the time the neighbours came out, the thugs had already disappeared into the darkness. Later, we found out that they had come from the open bush area leading towards the Itireleng squatter camp. This route has become a common escape path for criminals, after committing robberies in the area. My brother’s wife and children were beaten so badly that they had to stay in hospital for several days. It’s really heartbreaking, what they went through. We recently moved into this area thinking that it would be safer and quieter, but it turns out that Laudium has become a serious crime hotspot. It is now very scary to live here, not knowing what could happen next. What gives us some comfort is that, by the grace of God, no one lost their life in this horrific incident. Even though we got our vehicles back later, the emotional and psychological damage caused to my family cannot be undone. We have lost our sense of safety and peace. It’s time for the authorities to take real action. We, as residents, are living in fear and we feel like no one is protecting us. We pay our rates and taxes, but the crime is getting worse every day. Something needs to be done before more innocent families suffer like ours did.”

Laeeq told the Laudium Sun, “Dead or alive, if those thugs come here again, I will get them. I’m not worried about the cars, the money, or the phones. They hit my family. They f* with the wrong people. That’s all. I came from a dangerous place and I’m coming for them.” Bengal Street resident, Riyaad Saban, told the Laudium Sun, “Crime is extremely high in our area and the recent robbery where thugs brutally beat up small children has truly broken our hearts. The law enforcement agencies and local CPF are completely useless. They only show up after everything has already happened. There is no proper protection or prevention in place. Our community is going downhill day by day and honestly it feels like there’s no hope for improvement. We need real action, not empty promises, before things get even worse.”

The two bakkies that were stolen were recovered in Atteridgeville later, due to one of the vehicles having a tracking device. The CPF once more tried to deceive the community, pretending as if they played a crucial role in recovering the bakkies. Thankfully, the community is not fooled anymore.