After months and years of complaints by Erasmia residents against poor police responses and patrols in the area, residents have now finally been vindicated.
Despite cover-ups by ANC Cllr Naeem Patel, who is an Exco member of the Erasmia CPF (which he apparently controls, just like the Laudium CPF) and who also is part of the ANC PCO Committee in Centurion, where concerns of residents on issues of crime are meant to be addressed with members of Parliament and the Gauteng Legislature, under whose mandate policing falls, these concerns were seemingly ignored.
However, a surprise visit to the area by the Portfolio Committee on Police in Parliament last Friday (June 26), under the leadership of DA MP, Ian Cameron, resulted in a poor picture painted, concerning policing in the area. Despite even the local CPF, elected by the community, headed by Pritesh Bhana, keeping silent over the years on the poor state of policing in the area, the portfolio committee expressed serious concern over the lack of critical policing resources and inadequate collaboration between the SAPS, the City of Tshwane and local stakeholders, which they said continues to undermine efforts to improve safety and security in Erasmia and the Mooiplaas informal settlement.
Extracts from a statement issued on behalf of Ian Cameron, read, “During its oversight visit to Erasmia Police Station and the Mooiplaas informal settlement, the committee engaged with SAPS management, the Community Police Forum, the private security industry, the Gauteng Department of Community Safety and the City of Tshwane. The visit followed a motion adopted by the National Assembly highlighting the alarming levels of violent crime in the informal settlement. The committee found that while the station is officially allocated an adequate number of vehicles, many are either unserviceable, have accumulated excessive mileage, or are unsuitable for the challenging terrain in the policing precinct. Coupled with poor road infrastructure, inadequate lighting and the dense layout of the informal settlement, these shortcomings significantly hinder effective policing. The committee also raised concern over allegations of police misconduct, including claims that some officers own rental properties within the informal settlement and that others accept bribes, compromising their constitutional duty to serve and protect. Community members were encouraged to report any credible evidence of wrongdoing to the Independent Police Investigating Directorate, to enable thorough investigations and appropriate action. Another major concern is the poor rate of arrests and successful prosecutions despite numerous reported crimes. The committee noted with concern that approximately 80% of murder related entries from Mooiplaas reportedly have no identified suspects, highlighting the urgent need to strengthen investigative capacity. The committee emphasised that intelligence-led policing must become a priority to effectively combat violent crime in the area. The committee further called on the City of Tshwane to accelerate efforts to improve basic infrastructure, including the provision of streetlighting and accessible roads, as these are essential for effective policing and community safety.”
The Portfolio Committee on Police pledged to engage with SAPS national leadership to advocate for the urgent allocation of additional resources to the Erasmia Police Station, adding, “Addressing these operational deficiencies, strengthening partnerships with local stakeholders and improving intelligence capabilities remain critical to restoring public confidence and enhancing the fight against crime in these communities.”
There have been, since the visit by the Portfolio Committee, many calls received by the Laudium Sun, for both Cllr Patel (as ex officio) and Pritesh Bhana to resign from the CPF and allow other more competent residents to take over the CPF. Residents claim that Patel has only one agenda and that is to paint a good picture of the ANC and promote his financial backers, who are mainly Pakistanis.
Erasmia resident, Ashraf Ebrahim, told the Laudium Sun, “While I was shocked to read about the feedback from the Parliamentary Committee on Policing, on the Concerned Community Forum (CCF) WhatsApp group, I was certainly not surprised. As residents, we always knew and complained about lack of police patrols in the area, but unfortunately the truth of police vehicles not in good state and in disrepair was not told to us by the very same people who we elected to represent us. Thus, I believe if we really are serious about fighting crime in our area, the problematic common factor being Cllr Naeem Patel, who seems to be more interested in promoting the ANC and his Pakistani friends and the CPF chairperson, Pritesh Bhana should step down immediately from the CPF. They had a chance for a few years now, but have failed. It is time that new and competent residents take over. We deserve a change for the better and so does Erasmia.”
In response Pritesh Bhana told the Laudium Sun, he has no problem resigning, “If residents want me to it’s fine.” When asked why the CPF was only responding now to the report of the committee and why did they not inform the community these past months and years about the crisis at the Erasmia Police Station, Pritesh refused to respond.
