Whilst many areas in the Laudium area have security gates to control access to streets, due to the high crime in the area, certain areas cannot implement these controls, thus are more accessible to criminals.
Rametja Security said he was not on duty when
his colleagues were robbed, but heard about the
robbery that took place this past Monday night.
Areas such as the Laudium CBD and the major religious centres are not gated because of high traffic volumes. Also not gated is the immediate area around the Laudium Hospital as easy and unhindered access is of vital importance in case of emergencies. It is evident that thieves see these un-gated areas as an ongoing opportunity to steal, more so as the other gated areas are now more difficult to get into. This follows a robbery at the Laudium Community Health Centre (Laudium Hospital), this past Monday night on Bengal Str, in Laudium Ext 3, whereby four armed thugs attacked three security guards posted at the entrance of the hospital. It is believed that while one thug kept guard outside, the other three thugs pounced at the front guard house. At that time, one guard was sitting outside the guard-house while another two guards were sitting inside. When the three thugs were spotted coming to the guardhouse the two guards inside quickly managed to close the door, despite one of the thugs with a gun pushing the door, trying to get in. The three thugs then started beating up the one guard who was sitting outside and then searched his pockets, stealing his cellphone and the little money he had on him. It was then that the two guards, one a female, who locked themselves inside, but could see through the window their colleague being attacked, decided to open the door of the guard house and run for help, shouting and screaming. The thugs however managed to steal a phone and then decided to flee. According to a resident who lives near the hospital and who did not want to be identified, the four thugs then ran towards the nearby Itireleng informal settlement. The attack which took place this past Monday night (Nov 4) just before 11pm, has left staff working at the hospital and residents living in the area, shocked and in disbelief. A staff member who did not want to identify herself for fear of reprisals, told the Laudium Sun, “What is very disappointing is that the very same guards are the ones ensuring the safety of all our patients, many of whom come from Itireleng. If these criminals could attack our guards, they could so easily come inside the hospital and attack the staff or even the patients. We are now very scared working here, especially after hours. I just hope that the department will increase the security at this hospital, as clearly the present measures implemented are not enough.” The Laudium Sun also spoke to the security guard on duty during the day, Vincent Ramalele (37 ) from Rametja Security Company, who told the Laudium Sun that when the robbery happened he was not on duty, but when he arrived at work the following day, he heard that his colleagues had been robbed by the four thugs, adding, “The only information that I have received is that some of my colleagues were robbed the previous night. They are not on duty now and will only be available at work this coming Saturday. I hope that the police can catch these criminals, but I must say that I am happy that no one was injured or killed during the robbery. Crime is getting out of hand in Laudium. This incident has left everyone working at the hospital traumatised” Vincent said. The Laudium Police refused to give a comment, however Police Spokesperson, Tshwane Communication Coordinator Johan Van Dyk told the
Laudium Sun, “The complainant alleged that he was on duty as a security guard with his two colleagues. While in the guard room he saw four African males approaching the gate, three of them came in and one left outside. One of the three suspects took out a firearm and pointed towards them. The complainant closed the door and they fought at the door. While two other suspects were busy with his colleague outside, the complainant then opened the door to help his colleague and managed to run towards the hospital and scream for help. The suspects took the complainant’s cell phone a Samsung A14, valued at R3000.00 and ran away. The suspects are unknown and a case of business robbery was opened. Investigation continues.”
The Laudium Hospital refused to give a comment on the incident, but referred the Laudium Sun to the Tshwane District Health Communication officer, Sydney Mahlo, who said he was not aware of the incident but was going to investigate what happened and would then respond. However, at the time of going to press no response was received.