Petty crime, which seems to be the order of the day in the Laudium area, continues to be of great concern for residents, as their pleas to local police to beef up patrols and for the government’s welfare department to relocate the numerous unemployed youth who are addicted to drugs and freely walking the streets of Laudium, are met with deaf ears.
The local CPF seems to have lost its voice and very little is heard about them, as to how they are making a difference in fighting crime. They have become like lost sheep and seemingly only come to life, when Councilor Essop spearheads any crime combatting programs. The CPF is supposed to be the voice of the people and raise the concerns of the community with the police and most importantly report back to the community on a regular basis. However, since the resignation of their chairperson, Imraan Ahmed more than a year ago, the community is yet to elect a new chairperson.
In what is described as an ‘irritating crime’, albeit a petty crime, the theft of dustbins continues to be a problem for locals. In one of the recent incidents brought to the attention of the Laudium Sun, so that others could be warned, an Agra Street East resident was baffled after discovering last Friday (July 23), that her bin had been stolen. Nooreen Khan explained to the Laudium Sun, “On Friday, I woke up early in the morning, at around 5am, even though it was freezing cold, because I know that every Friday, the council waste collector truck comes to collect the waste from our bins in the mornings. So, in order not to miss them, as we are never sure of the exact time in the morning they come, I left my dustbin outside, just in front of my gate at that time and then I went back into my house. I decided to go out and check at around 7:15am, whether my bin had been emptied or not, but there was no dustbin at my front gate. I was so shocked that just within two hours, our dustbin had gone missing. And this is not the first time. It has happened for the seventh time now. It is because of this reason that I did not leave my bin outside at night, but now even during the early morning they stole my bin. Something must be done about these thefts. How is it that someone can walk away with our bin, which is big, without the police or the security companies patrolling the area spotting it? We can’t continue to face such inconvenience and expenses each time. I had to pay for my dustbin the last time, even though I went to report the theft to the council. I also had to go and pick it up in Centurion, myself. I think the City of Tshwane must give us an exact time as to when they are coming to empty our dustbins, because we can’t live like this. Our street is near the Military Road, which is open for everyone including these nyaope guys, who keep coming and taking things out of our dustbins. I believe that it is these guys who are stealing our dustbins.”
Sergeant Simon Chokoe, of the Laudium SAPS, said, “We urge residents not to leave their dustbins outside their yard before the wastage truck comes. I also want to caution our residents not to buy any stolen items including dustbins, because this is a criminal act.”
