Despite Cllr Naeem Patel and Laudium CPF Chairperson, Shaheen Wahab, claiming to have walked through the streets of Laudium, Itireleng and Erasmia, to see for themselves, ‘first hand’ the problems of crime and grime residents are facing and to assist in this regard, various complaints of residents remain unattended to.
One of the most crucial and ongoing complaints of residents living in the Laudium Ext 3 area, is the open access to the bush and hills leading into Itireleng and Atteridgeville. Residents in the area say that criminals are using this open space to target their homes and despite both Shaheen and Naeem being aware of the complaints, the pair have simply ignored these and seemingly rather choose taking selfies of themselves ‘chilling’ at crime scenes.
This follows yet another incident of crime, reported to the Laudium Sun, for stats purposes. This time, two Black males are accused of entering the yard of Shyam Naidoo’s house on Bengal Street, Laudium Ext 3. The thieves jumped over from the back wall the previous Thursday night at around 11pm, stealing a number of items including a 19kg gas cylinder and LED lights from the yard.
Shyam, told the Laudium Sun, “I was sleeping at that time when I heard some noise in my yard, but I thought it was my dog making the noise, so I didn’t get up to go check. That was my mistake. When I woke up in the morning, I found that my 19kg gas cylinder, along with some LED lights and other small items, were gone and nowhere to be found. I quickly checked the CCTV footage and discovered that two intruders had jumped over the back wall of my property and stolen those items. It was really upsetting because those items are expensive and in this tight economy, it’s not easy to replace them. We are really tired and sick of all the crime that keeps happening on our street. There are no police vans or CPF patrols our area and the criminals are becoming bolder each day. Every week, we hear of new incidents of crime, from thefts and burglaries to break-ins, yet there is hardly any visible response from the law enforcement side. It feels like the residents are being left on their own to deal with these problems of criminality. The lack of police visibility, especially at night, is a major concern for everyone living here. Many people are now afraid to even step outside after dark. Our community has reported numerous incidents to the authorities, but nothing seems to change. We pay our taxes, we keep our homes secure and we try our best to look out for one another, yet the crime continues to rise. I strongly believe that the police and the local CPF need to increase night patrols and engage more with residents. There needs to be more accountability and faster response when crimes are reported. We are honest, hardworking people just trying to live in peace, but without proper protection and visibility from the authorities, it feels like we are constantly at risk. All we are asking for is for the police to do their job properly and to ensure that our area is safe again. At the very least, we deserve to feel secure in our own homes and not have to wake up to find our belongings stolen right from our own yards. There have been so many requests for the open veld leading into the hills to be closed off, but nothing is being done about it.”
Faheem Hassim of Bengal Street told the Laudium Sun, “If we talk about crime, then I guess we would need the whole day just to cover everything that’s happening around us. Honestly, if I had to write a book about crime in Laudium, it would probably take me months to finish it, because the situation here has become unbearable. The crime in Laudium is now unstoppable and has reached sky-high levels. Every week we hear of new incidents from house break-ins, car thefts and robberies to even kidnappings and nothing seems to be improving. Once again we, as a community, have been let down and are not protected in our area. We have been raising our voices for years, but no one in power seems to listen, even calls for the areas leading into the open veld to be closed are being ignored. The sad truth is that it’s now too late to depend on the corrupt politicians and law enforcement agencies who only make empty promises when it suits them. They come during elections, shake hands and talk about safety and service delivery, but once they win, they disappear. The people of Laudium are then left to suffer on their own. We are tired of living in fear. Every night, residents sleep with one eye open, worried about what might happen next. We are no longer safe in our homes at night and even during the day, criminals operate without fear of being caught. There is no accountability, no real police or CPF presence and no justice for the victims. If the authorities don’t take immediate and serious action, Laudium will completely lose all peace and dignity. We need stronger policing, working streetlights and community patrols that actually make a difference. Until then, we will continue to live under the shadow of crime and corruption.”
politicians make empty promises when it suits them, then leave the people of Laudium to suffer on their own.
Sunny Pillay, also of Bengal Street, told the Laudium Sun, “We need better protection, especially for elderly people like us, because if intruders break into our homes, we don’t have the strength or ability to defend ourselves. It’s a very frightening situation and we feel completely vulnerable. We can’t depend on the police anymore, because the word ‘police’ seems to have disappeared from our community. There is no presence, no response and no safety for residents like us, who have lived here for decades and just want to feel secure in our own homes.”
