Despite residents in the Laudium/Erasmia area taking extra measures to protect their property and themselves from being targeted by criminals, crime in these areas continues, as the local police and CPF have failed them.
Many residents living in neighborhoods in these areas have, out of desperation, even resorted to closing off their streets with security gates, at great cost, in the hope that they could live peacefully, without fear of being attacked. But, crime continues under the sleepy eyes of the ANC’s ‘Changu Mangu’ pair, Cllr Patel and the CPF Co-ordinator in the area, Shaheen Wahab. The pair serve on various platforms, that are controlled by ANC politicians.
This follows yet another crime committed in one of Laudium’s gated neighbourhoods, this time in the 7th Ave area, where thieves managed to break into a home on Saturday evening (August 16), at around 7:30pm. At least two black males are believed to be involved in the break-in at the home of Hassina Bava, stealing cash and household items. The thieves managed to enter and leave the area without being spotted by any of the CPF Patrollers or police supposedly patrolling the area.
Hassina told the Laudium Sun, “My family and I were not at home when the incident happened, as we had gone to Polokwane for a funeral on Friday and only returned on Sunday. We heard about the break-in from our neighbour, who informed us of the incident. We were all shocked and rushed back from Polokwane to Laudium on Sunday. When we got home, my neighbour told us that through their CCTV camera footage, they saw two Black African males were seen entering our property at around 7:30pm on Saturday evening. The thieves managed to steal some cash and household items. This is extremely upsetting because, even though we all have security measures and gates everywhere, incidents of crime are still happening. It feels like we are being watched by these criminals and we are no longer safe in Laudium. We can’t even leave our homes without fearing break-ins and other criminal activity. Laudium is becoming a very dangerous place to live in. Despite all the security gates and systems in place, which we are paying for, crime is just increasing and these supposed safety measures are not helping at all. This is totally ridiculous. The law enforcement agencies and the community leadership need to work out a plan together, to fight crime, so that we can have a safer Laudium to live in.”
Mohammed Hussain, also of 7th Avenue, told the Laudium Sun, “I heard about the break-in and it is totally unacceptable. How can criminal incidents like this happen, when we have security and gates on our streets which we are paying for? It seems the criminals are either too clever, or the security measures are not effective enough. It really astonishes me how the thieves managed to break into the house and steal items, despite the presence of so much security everywhere. Laudium is increasingly becoming a gangster’s paradise and it is no longer safe. There must be strict punishment for criminals, so that anyone who commits such crimes knows they will end up behind bars for a very long time.”
