Laudium CPF Chair, Shaheen Wahab and Cllr Naeem Patel, who is also part of the CPF (amongst the many other local organisations that he has ‘captured’), stand accused of turning a blind eye to a serious criminal act that unfolded recently.
This follows a security guard from Khans Tactical, Victor Molongwana, who was placed by the company to guard at the gated Mendhi Street post, being threatened by a resident brandishing a firearm and pointing it at the guard. According to reports, the resident from the area, Rasheed Omar, pointed a firearm at Victor, threatened to kill him and was abusive towards the guard. The crime which took place the previous Wednesday evening at around 6pm, has left the guard traumatised, resulting in one of the other residents living on Mendhi Street alerting the Laudium Sun to the incident. The resident who did not want to be named as he ‘knows’ Rasheed, alleged that when Victor complained to his boss about the incident, he was told not to report the matter to the police and that the boss, a certain Mr Khan, would resolve the matter with Rasheed, adding, “I later heard that when the owner of Khans Tactical found out about the Laudium Sun interviewing the guard, he immediately asked both Cllr Patel and Shaheen Wahab from the CPF, to help him resolve the problem between the guard and Rasheed amicably, so as to avoid the story being published. If this is true, then I believe it was wrong for both of them to cover up a crime, as it could be construed as ‘defeating the ends of justice.’ The two should have insisted that the owner of Khans Tactical assist his guard to open a case against Rasheed, as Rasheed is known to me
as a temperate person and could easily have shot the guard.”
Victor Molongwana, the Khans Tactical guard, told the Laudium Sun, “I was on duty that day at Mendhi Street, Laudium, when the incident occurred. I was about to end my shift and was preparing to go home after a long day of work. Everything was going as usual until, all of a sudden, a resident named Rasheed Omar approached me while he was driving his car. At that time, the gates were closed and Rasheed asked me to open the gate. I explained to him that I did not have the gate key with me, as one of the church members had it and I needed to wait for that person to come and open the gate. Rasheed immediately became angry. He began swearing at me and verbally abusing me. I tried to remain calm and professional, but the situation escalated very quickly. When I asked him why he was swearing at me, pointing out that it was not my fault that I did not have the key, he screamed at me and continued yelling aggressively. His anger seemed uncontrollable. Then, out of his rage, Rasheed took out a firearm and pointed it directly at me. He threatened to kill me on the spot. I was very frightened and shocked. I tried to reason with him, telling him that it was not my fault that I did not have the gate key and that there was nothing I could do at that moment. Despite my attempts to calm him down, Rasheed refused to listen. He remained extremely furious and continued his aggressive behaviour. It was the most terrifying experience of my life. I immediately reported the incident to the owner of Khans Tactical, but unfortunately despite assuring me that action would be taken, nothing has been done so far. Since that day, I have been hesitant and fearful to come to work. I perform my duties every day to protect the residents of this area, but facing threats like this has made it very difficult for me to feel safe while doing my job. This experience has left a deep impact on me. I have worked as a security guard for years and I have faced many challenging situations, but this was one of the most frightening encounters I have ever had. The thought that a resident could point a firearm at me while I was only doing my duty is deeply troubling. The incident has also affected my confidence and sense of security at work. I honestly feel unsafe and stressed whenever I have to patrol this area. To be honest, this terrible experience with Rasheed Omar and other residents in Laudium has made me extremely cautious. I feel that some residents, especially certain individuals, do not respect the work that security personnel do and their aggressive behaviour can put lives at risk. I truly hope that the authorities take incidents like this seriously so that security workers like me can perform our jobs without fearing for our lives.”
Hassim Sheik of Mendhi Street, told the Laudium Sun, “I heard about the attack on the guard and it is really not good for our community. We need to have respect for our security guards, who are working hard every day to protect us. They should not be threatened with firearms or abused in any way. This kind of behaviour is completely unacceptable and shows a lack of respect and common sense. It is really foolish and dangerous and I hope the security guard from Khans Tactical will get justice for the attack on him. I also do understand that the gates in our area can be a problem for many residents. Sometimes it can be frustrating when you need to go somewhere quickly and the gates are closed, making even simple tasks like buying bread a challenge. I have personally experienced the difficulty of having to go around and around just to get to a shop because of the gates. I understand that people can feel frustrated in such situations. However, that frustration should not be taken out on a security guard who is simply doing his job. Security guards are there to ensure our safety, not to become targets of anger or violence. Threatening them with firearms or abusive language is not only dangerous but completely unacceptable. Everyone in the community must understand that rules and procedures, like the gates being locked, are there for safety reasons and not to make life difficult.”
Ismail Khan, also of Mendhi Street, told the Laudium Sun, “This is really bad about the incident with the Khans Tactical guard, where one of the residents allegedly pointed a gun at him. It is shocking and frightening to hear that a security guard, who is simply performing his duty to protect the community, would face such a threat. Security guards work hard every day to ensure our safety and incidents like this against them should not happen. I believe the gates are a major problem in our area. Many residents experience frustration when the gates are closed, especially when trying to go about their daily activities. However, closing all the gates is not the solution. These streets are public, not private property and everyone must remember that. The community needs to find a balance between security and accessibility.”
The Laudium Sun approached Rasheed Omar for comment. He did not answer his phone, but after we sent him a message, he responded by saying that we should call the guard’s boss, a certain Jake. We then responded that we would proceed with the story and place on record that he refused to comment further.
*As both Naeem and Shaheen often preach that they stand for justice and have often called on locals to report matters of crime to the police, the Laudium Sun trusts that they would ensure that the local police pursue this matter, as a ‘whistle blower’ exercise.