With residents being uncertain as to who is in charge of policing in the Laudium area, confidence in the police is going down, as crime continues.
This follows the ongoing complaints to the Laudium Sun about the unlawful actions of the Laudium CPF, who persistently illegally carry out the duties of the local police.
In one of the latest incidents of complaints against the local police, yet again the local CPF, which is supposed to be the voice of the community, has failed to address complaints against the police, as the CPF is seemingly more focused on taking photos of themselves.
This follows a complaint to the Laudium Sun, against the police, by a resident of Mustard Street who, despite tracing a thief who stole from his property following CCTV footage, said that the police let the male thief go due to “lack of evidence,” without fully interrogating him. The CCTV footage of the theft, which occurred last Thursday night (April 24) at around 10pm, at the home of Peter Labuschagne, shows a thief jumping over the back wall of the
property and stealing a number of items, including a solar panel, a pair of jeans from the clothing line, a child’s bike and other items. Peter complained to the Laudium Sun, “We were not at home when the theft happened, as we were attending a get-together at a friend’s place. When I came back home with my family at around midnight, I discovered that several items were missing from my house. I noticed that the solar panel was gone, a pair of my jeans was missing, some groceries were stolen and my child’s bike—which I had recently bought—was also gone. I was furious and couldn’t understand how this could have happened. Then I realized that in the rush to get to the function, we had forgotten to lock the front main door. That must have been how the thief got inside and stole all these items. I reviewed the CCTV footage and immediately recognized the thief. He was someone familiar to me, as I’ve often seen him roaming around our street. From what I know, he is originally from Malawi. According to the footage, he jumped over the back wall and entered the house. This individual singlehandedly stole the solar panel, the bike and other items. Early the next morning, I went looking for the Malawian suspect and eventually found him walking on one of the streets nearby. I confronted him and asked him why he had taken my belongings, but he denied everything. I then called the Laudium Police, and when they arrived I told them about the CCTV footage and they then took him away to the police station. However, I was surprised to learn later that the police released him due to what they termed as ‘lack of evidence’— even though I provided the CCTV footage. The police claimed that the footage wasn’t clear enough to pursue legal action. I believed that the Malawian did not have valid papers to be in the country yet they released him.” Now I can understand why so many people don not report crime to the Police because the Police do no seem to be interested in catching criminals.
Peter added, “I’m extremely frustrated and angry with this outcome. I worked hard to buy those items, and they were stolen from me in an instant. This kind of injustice is unacceptable. As residents of Laudium, we must stand together and speak out against the crime in our community and the local police who do not seem to be interested in fighting crime. We deserve to at least feel safe in our own homes.”
Another Mustard Street resident, Aanina Kruger, told the Laudium Sun, “I read the Laudium Sun every week and that’s how I stay informed about the crime happening in our community. I’ve noticed a lot of incidents of crime in your paper, which I believe are not even a tip of all the crimes happening in the area. It’s truly concerning. What happened at Peter’s house is really unfortunate and I hope the person responsible is brought to justice. The Laudium Police need to be more proactive and thorough in their investigations. They should examine all the evidence from every angle and dedicate enough time to ensure justice is served. From what I understand, the investigation in this case was not thorough enough, which is likely why the suspect was released without any consequences. I truly hope that one day, our country can return to the sense of peace and security we had before 1994, so that we can live without fear in our own homes.”
Nareen Benadasalam, another Mustard Street resident, told the Laudium Sun, “The crime in Laudium is out of control and it feels like those in positions of authority are asleep. No one seems to care about the rising crime rate. There’s a lot of talk about having gated the community, but honestly, what has it helped? In my opinion, crime has actually increased since the implementation of these gates. A lot of traffic has been diverted and criminals are
now exploiting both gated and non-gated areas. So, in the end, there’s no real difference. The authorities need to take responsibility and fix the problems they have created, before we are forced to take legal action—especially against the corrupt people who claim to be serving our Ward.”
