Another week and again the Laudium Sun has received more reports of crime in the Laudium/Erasmia area.
While both the Laudium and Erasmia Police and CPF have refused to give any crime stats for their areas, on a weekly or even monthly basis, concerned residents have from time to time been alerting the Laudium Sun about crime in the area, for stats purposes.
In one of the latest of such reports, five African males, believed to be Malawian nationals, stormed into an Erasmia home on Petrus Myburgh Street, this past Sunday evening (November 1), at around 7.30pm.
The armed thugs attacked an elderly couple, Joosub Cassim Mohammed (Casey – 89), his wife and their domestic worker, assaulting them and then tying them and locking them in the bathroom.
The thugs ransacked the house, stealing a number of valuables, including three cell phones, watches, jewellery and cash, before fleeing the scene approximately 15 minutes later, without either the Police or the CPF noticing them enter or leave the vicinity.
Eunice Mamolepo, the domestic worker at the targeted house on Petrus Myburgh Street, told the Laudium Sun, “I was with my employers, the elderly couple, as I take care of them. The main front door of the house was open. At around 7.30pm, five Black armed thugs, who I suspect were foreign nationals from Malawi because of their accents, jumped over the front gate which was closed and entered the yard. Since the front door was open, they came straight into the house. I was with the elderly couple in the living room when the thugs entered. One of the armed thugs pointed a gun at me, demanding that I hand over whatever I had on me and show them where the money was kept in the house. Another two thugs threatened to kill the elderly couple if they did not give them all their valuables. While two guys started searching the cupboards, another two guys tied up my employers and me and locked us up in one of the house bathrooms. These thugs stole several items. I am not even sure what exactly was stolen. But I know that they stole three cell phones, cash, watches and jewellery. After approximately 15 minutes, when it became quiet, I realised that the thugs had left. Fortunately, I had managed to hide my cell phone before they took our belongings. I somehow managed to reach for my phone and call the owner’s son, Nasser. He rushed to the house and rescued us from the bathroom. It was a horrible experience. At that moment, I honestly felt that we were going to die. I was terrified, especially because the thugs were armed and kept threatening us and pushing us around. It is something I will never forget. Crime is extremely high in Erasmia and it does not seem to be going down. Residents are living in fear, and something needs to be done to fix the situation. Even the elderly are not safe in their own homes. This is terrible. What happened to us was a very traumatic experience and I would not wish it on anyone.”
Sunita Pillay, also of Petrus Myburgh Street, told the Laudium Sun, “The crime rate is extremely high in our area and now with the new squatter camp next to us, crime seems to have increased, which is a major concern for residents. I believe that some of the criminal activities taking place in Erasmia could be linked to the squatter camp, as there are many more vagrants walking on our streets and seemingly watching our homes. This is something that needs to be investigated. We hardly see the Erasmia Police vans or the CPF patrolling our area, which is very concerning. As residents, we depend on the Police to protect us and ensure our safety, but at the moment, we do not feel that there is enough Police visibility in our neighbourhood. Seemingly every day there are incidents of crime in the area, with many people not even reporting it as they have lost confidence in the Police. We cannot continue living under these circumstances and urgently require an effective solution to address the problem. We need stronger action to prevent crime before more families become victims. Regular Police patrols, better visibility and closer cooperation between the Police and the community could make a difference. The Erasmia CPF should also start playing a role and address the concerns of the community. We want to see our area become a safer place where families can live without constantly worrying about crime. We are raising these concerns because we want action, from the Police, the CPF and the politicians, not just promises.”
