A Zimbabwean family who recently moved away from their country for a ‘better future’ in South Africa, are now having second thoughts, after deciding to make Laudium their new place to live in.
This follows the family falling victim to crime within weeks of moving to Laudium. Benedict Neve who, together with his family, moved into a shared property on 4th Avenue, told the Laudium Sun, “I was informed early on Sunday morning by a neighbour, that there was a break-in, in our yard, on Saturday night (June 28). The neighbour told me that he thinks that the thieves entered the yard at around 11pm, as he heard some noise in the yard. When I went out to check, I realised that the thieves had stolen the gate motor and the car battery from my Haval vehicle which was parked in the yard. We recently moved to Laudium and we honestly didn’t expect it to be such a high-crime area. Of course, we had heard about crime in South Africa, but we didn’t imagine that we would be welcomed into the country with a break-in where we live, more so not in Laudium, as we thought that this area was peaceful, seeing the many religious places in the area. This is really disheartening. It’s hard to imagine building a peaceful life here, if criminals are allowed to operate so freely. I want the thieves responsible, who broke into our yard and stole the gate motor and my car battery, to be caught and brought to justice. There is no way criminals should be allowed to be free, while residents like us are left feeling helpless. Crime needs to be reduced, so that we can live normal, peaceful lives without constant fear. I’m not yet sure about the police visibility in this area, since we recently moved in, but I hope that the Laudium SAPS is actively 4th Ave resident, Blessing Venter, said crime is a very serious issue in Laudium. patrolling and making their presence known. More importantly, residents of Laudium need to be pro-active and visible too. I strongly believe this theft was the work of at least two thieves, because a job like this isn’t something one person could pull off alone.”
4th Avenue resident, Blessing Venter, told the Laudium Sun, “Crime in this specific area is not so high compared to other areas of Laudium. But, I know that overall, crime in Laudium is a very serious issue and that we should never let our guard down. I believe residents of Laudium need to be more vigilant and stay alert and united. We need to stand stronger against crime in our community.”
Kirti Patel, yet another resident of 4th Avenue, said, “Crime in Laudium is increasingly high and recently there was a break-in at our neighbour’s house—it was terrible. This crime needs to stop. We all deserve to live in a peaceful environment, not in a place where criminal activity happens every single day and the police seem to be nowhere to be found. There is no law and order in this place.”
