Ldm Ext 3, another break-in… as CPF’S ‘sleepy’ Shaheen seemingly more interested in promotion

It seems the more ‘incompetent’ one is in the police or government environment, the higher the chances of a promotion, as long as one is a loyal member of the ANC.

Thus, it was no surprise to many residents, when ANC Cllr Patel announced that his sidekick, the chair of the Laudium CP, the ‘sleepy’ Shaheen Wahab, was appointed to oversee other CPFs in the neighbouring area. The shocking but not surprising news, has had some residents commenting thus, “not surprised at all, as we all know that mainly those who are incompetent in performing their tasks are promoted. We will not forget that it was only after Shaheen was brought in with support mainly from Cllr Patel and the many Pakistani guys, that residents were ‘forced’ to barricade the streets of Laudium out of fear of increasing crime in the area.”

Another resident commented, “The CPFs fall under the respective politicians and in Gauteng it is the ANC that controls, that is why like Naeem Patel, these guys are sucking up to the ANC, seemingly to get promotions, so we are certainly not surprised.”

Another resident said, “Residents will recall that not long back the then Station Commander of the Laudium Police Station, David Sithole about whom so many residents, including Shaheen and Naeem, complained of poor performance and who was even named by the Laudium Sun as ‘Mampara of the year,’ was promoted and transferred to another police station. So was Captain Packree who was promoted, despite serious complaints against him, including allegedly covering up for the accused involved in the shooting and murder of former policeman and attorney, Mubeen Bhana, so please do not tell me about Shaheen’s promotion. As far as I and many others are concerned, he got the promotion because he is messing up with crime matters and he is a member of the ANC, those seem to be the only criteria these days, to get a promotion in government or ANC structures. To me he certainly does not even deserve to be an ordinary cleaner in the CPF.”

Break-in
Getting back to crime, while the CPF conveniently does not release crime stats, so that residents can be warned, some residents do give info on crime for stats purposes and to keep the community informed. In one of the latest crime incidents reported to the Laudium Sun, a home in Laudium Ext 3 was invaded by thieves this past Sunday (Mother’s Day), May 11. Thieves broke into the Kashmir Crescent home while the family was away for the afternoon, celebrating Mother’s Day, sometime around midday and 6pm, stealing a number of valuables and even cash. Homeowner, Jen Prasad told the Laudium Sun, “It was Mother’s Day, so we took my mother out for a get-together. We left the house at around noon and returned at around 6:30pm. When we got back home, I was surprised to find the kitchen door latch broken. When I got into the house, I found all the rooms ransacked. The cupboards were all open and clothes were thrown out onto the floor. That’s when I realized that thieves had broken into our house through the kitchen door. The thieves were clearly looking for cash and valuables. I believe more than two thieves were involved in the theft of our valuables and cash. I suspect it may have been a group of African guys who broke in. Crime in Laudium is sky-high and the community gates offer little help as there is no proper security structure in place. We need our police to be more active. How is it that these thieves manage to break in during the day and on a Sunday, when the streets are busier, without being spotted? To reduce crime, we need more police patrols in the area, both day and night. Thieves broke the kitchen door latch to gain access to the house. Our security companies also need to be more vigilant, as many are just out to make money without offering real protection. This is the truth, even if some people may not want to hear it.”

Armond Govender of Kashmir Crescent, Laudium, told the Laudium Sun, “Crime is really out of hand and we urgently need proper security in place. House break-ins are too common in Laudium and to prevent these kinds of crimes we, as a community, must stand together and fight crime. Residents must also be vigilant and report any suspicious activity,” adding, “The gating system is not very effective. I read in the Laudium Sun almost every week about daily break-ins and robberies. With crime so high, what is the point of having a gating system, which is so costly to run, if it’s not helping?”

Kashmir Crescent resident, Dowelani Fhatu, told the Laudium Sun, “Crime in our area is really terrible. The squatter camp is located right next to us and I believe that most of the crimes are linked to it. To prevent break-ins and other criminal activities, I think we need more proactive police patrolling in our area and access to the squatter camp must be walled off.”