The closure of various streets in the Laudium/Erasmia area by residents, due to the fear of rising crime, after ANC Cllr Naeem Patel and CPF Chair, Shaheen Wahab from the ANC, came into office, is starting to have a reverse impact.
It was only after the pair came into office that various neighborhoods got together and closed off streets in their areas, as residents lived in fear of the ongoing crime in the area. Now, residents who have been digging deep into their pockets to maintain the gates and pay for security guards, are asking whether the closure was worth it, as crime continues in many of the gated street areas, even in broad daylight. An application to the Tshwane Council for the formal closure of the various neighbourhood areas is also in process, which will add to further expenses for residents, as amongst others, traffic impact studies will have to be done. Residents have also raised concerns about the effectiveness of the security company (promoted by both Naeem and Shaheen) in curbing crime, as many of their security guards stationed at the gates, do not seem to have the proper training, are often found sleeping on duty or running errands for nearby households, instead of monitoring the area. This follows just this past week, a number of ‘complaints’ against the gates being made.
Cllr Prajay gets Metro Cops
In one of the incidents, Cllr Prajay Ramjee is accused of arranging and holding an onsite meeting with the Tshwane Metro Police this past Wednesday (Oct 29), concerning the street security gate near Yaseens Café on 10th Ave, Laudium. An email from Pierre Jordaan, an inspector at the Tshwane Council dealing with complaints about the street gates, sent to Cllr Patel, confirms the request for a site meeting on Wednesday at 1pm with another Councillor (Prajay).
This allegedly followed complaints from the owner of the commercial building, who is believed to have been present at the meeting, about the gate near his building being closed during the day, which apparently was causing harm to the business of his tenants.
A certain, ‘Tauseef Gani’ also complained to the Metro Police, via email, about gate closures in the Laudium area and the ‘flawed’ process whereby Khan’s Tactical was awarded as ‘security provider’ for the various gated areas, without an open ‘bidding process.’
posted at a gate on Himalaya Street in Laudium
was snapped by the Laudium Sun.
The said unknown ‘Tauseef’ also asked that the Metro Police investigate the office bearers of ‘Hillside Homeowners Association’ for not producing financials and for not being transparent, more so in their ‘appointment’ of Khan’s Tactical to provide security guards.
Erasmia
Furthermore, residents of Erasmia have also complained about the gate closures. This follows an apparently frustrated Erasmia resident who was in a hurry, driving through a closed street gate, on Aletta Street, in the early hours of this past Monday morning (Oct, 27), apparently due to frustration with the various gates being closed.
was apparently in a hurry, drove through a closed street gate on Aletta Str, this past Monday morning.
Zachariah Stevens, a resident of Aletta Street, Erasmia, told the Laudium Sun, “On Monday morning at around 4:30am, I heard a big noise coming from the gate side, but I did not go out to check. When I got up and checked later in the morning, I discovered that the gate had been smashed open, seemingly by an angry resident who drove his vehicle through the closed gate.”
Mubeen Patel, another resident of Aletta Street, told the Laudium Sun, “The incident where a car damaged the Aletta Stree gatet, I guess happened because residents are getting frustrated with the gates being closed all day and night. It is not supposed to be like this because we, the residents, want freedom of movement in our area. We are not the criminals. Nowadays, all the gates are closed and it hampers our businesses and our ability to move freely from one street to another. It is also very stressful for people who live here and need to get to work, run errands or even just visit neighbors. The constant closures make life more complicated than need be. When the gates are closed, emergency vehicles also have difficulty reaching us quickly and day-to-day life becomes a challenge. We understand the need for security, but there has to be a balance. Residents want to live in a safe environment, but we also want to be able to move freely without restrictions that disrupt our daily lives. The incident with the car damaging the street gate, shows how tensions are rising in the community. People are frustrated and it is clear that changes need to be made. We hope that the authorities and the neighbourhood gate managers will find a solution that ensures both security and freedom of movement.”
Firoz Jhawery, a resident from Skurweberg Street in Erasmia, told the Laudium Sun, “It is inconvenient when the gates are closed during the day, as we often need to go from point A to point B. It causes extra petrol usage and more effort if we have to go around repeatedly. Daily routines become unnecessarily difficult and this affects everyone in the neighborhood. The management of the gates must think carefully about this and plan accordingly, when deciding to close the gates. Residents need easier access while still maintaining security, so a balanced solution should be implemented for the benefit of all.”
Himalaya Street
Residents in other areas, including Laudium Ext 3 have also complained about the street gates. Haroon Ebrahim, a resident of Himalaya Street, Laudium Ext 3, told the Laudium Sun, “It is with great sadness to say how some community members are fooling our residents and creating unnecessary fear just to earn money through this gating system. If we look at the crime situation in our area, I do not believe that crime has come down at all. In fact, it seems even worse, despite having all these gates in place. The gate that is right next to my house is now closed the whole day and people cannot get through. They open it for maybe an hour, but for the rest of the day the gate remains locked. How on earth is something like this even possible? This is not someone’s private property. Our streets belong to the entire community, so who gave them permission to install gates and even more shocking, the permission to close them during broad daylight? Who is actually suffering from these restrictions? Not the people who make these decisions. Most of them do not even stay in Laudium for the entire day. They have big businesses outside, they work far from the area and they only return home in the evenings after everything is done. But people like us, ordinary residents who live here, work here and move around here throughout the day, are the ones facing the consequences. Something as simple as going to buy a loaf of bread from the shop or rushing to the hospital or visiting a neighbour becomes a whole mission. We have to drive or walk around in circles because the gates are closed and blocking most streets and access points. It is extremely frustrating and unfair. This is totally insane because they are creating a huge nightmare, especially for elderly residents like us. Many older people do not have a car or any form of transportation. They are forced to walk long distances, sometimes 30 minutes under the hot sun, just to get from one point to another. This is not what a caring community does. This gating system was supposed to protect us, but instead, it is punishing us. Honestly, the whole thing feels like a conspiracy and a money-making business, nothing else. People are paying for security services and access, but where is the actual safety? Where are the visible results? We still hear about break-ins, robberies, and criminal activity almost every week. Criminals are not being stopped by these gates. They simply just drive or walk through in front of the guard or jump over or break in from somewhere else, while we the innocent residents, are blocked, restricted and made to suffer. Our freedom of movement is a basic right. We should not feel like prisoners in our own neighbourhood. We should not be told which street we can use and at what time we can leave or return home. Laudium is not a private estate. Decisions affecting thousands of people cannot be made by a small group who only think about their own interests and profits. This must stop. We want all the gates to be open, especially during the day. We want our streets back, we want our peace back and we want a system that truly protects the community instead of causing more stress, inconvenience and division. Our voices must be heard and our rights must be respected before this situation gets even worse. Instead of closing off streets we should demand that the police and security patrollers do their jobs properly.
of closing off streets, causing great inconvenience, the police and security patrols should do their jobs properly.
Shevani Pillay, another resident of Himalaya Street, told the Laudium Sun, “I need to drop and fetch my child from school each and every day, but now that the gate on our street is closed during the daytime, it is causing me a big problem. I am forced to walk all the way around Bengal Street just to take my daughter to school and fetch her again. What used to be a simple five-minute trip, has now become a long and stressful journey, especially during school rush hours. This gating system is really making life difficult for us residents and we are not happy at all. The residents who are living in Ext 2 are not affected by this at all, but we, who stay in Ext 3, are treated like criminals, as if we do not belong or do not have the right to access the rest of Laudium. We all live in Laudium and we all deserve equal access to any of the neighbourhoods. These streets belong to the public and they are not anyone’s private property. So how can someone decide to close them without considering the massive inconvenience it causes? We have rights too and our daily routines are being turned upside down. Parents, elderly people, schoolchildren and residents without transport are suffering because of this. We hope that the authorities will listen to us and take action before this situation becomes even more frustrating for everyone living in this part of Laudium.”
gating system is making life difficult for residents.
Dinash Rugbur, yet another resident of Bengal Street, Laudium Ext 3, told the Laudium Sun, “This gating system is really not fair at all. I run a cylinder gas transportation business and for me, these day-time road closures are causing a huge setback. Since the gates are closed during the day, I am forced to drive a much longer distance to reach my customers. I waste extra petrol, extra time and sometimes my clients are left waiting because I must drive round and round just to get from one destination to another, even when the place is very close to my street. It impacts my business directly and I am the one paying the price for decisions that were made without asking the people who live here. The gates are supposed to help reduce crime, but instead crime continues. The people in control of this system should be helping the community, not making our lives more difficult. As a businessman, I rely on easy access to deliver goods quickly. We need answers from the gating management. Why did they decide to close the gates during the day without consulting the community? Who gave them the right to block public roads and make decisions that affect our daily lives and our jobs? These are community roads, paid for by taxpayers like us, not private routes for a select group to control as they please. We want transparency and we want fairness. We demand that the gates remain open during the day so that we can work, move freely, and support our families without these unreasonable restrictions.”
the gating management the right to close gates
during the day, adding that crime continues.
Who’s fooling who? Cllr Prajay vs Cllr Patel
When asked for comment on his meeting with the Metro Police (TMPD) and the owners of the building of Yaseens Café, concerning a complaint by them about the closed street gate nearby their property, Prajay told the Laudium Sun, “…Firstly, I wish to make it clear that I have no objection to the gating project and, in fact, commend the dedicated efforts of those involved. Due to the concerning increase in criminal activity within Extension 3, it became evident that alternative solutions needed to be explored to safeguard residents. As a resident of the area myself, I fully understand and share the community’s concerns… On Monday, October 27, I requested a meeting with Ms Charmain Sutil, a TMPD official, that is an expert on Urban Management to discuss potential safety planning strategies. Unbeknown to me Ms Charmain Sutil was accompanied by two senior TMPD officials. Our meeting took place on Wednesday, October 29, 2025, at 13h00, at Yaseen’s Café – a regular and neutral venue for my meetings. If I had something to hide, I highly doubt that I would have a meeting as such in the public domain, specifically having a meeting at the very gates that I “allegedly” complained about. My idea was for her to park her car at Yaseen’s and then take her to see Extension 3… It must be emphasized that the meeting had nothing to do with removing any gates or interfering with the existing gating project…
I have no influence over TMPD operational decisions, and should they determine that gates remain open or closed, such a stance arises from their official mandate, not from my input. Mr Yaseen Osman and Mr Shaheen Osman were privy to the meeting and can verify the accuracy of this account…”
Yaseen and Shaheen apparently also complained to Cllr Patel about the gate closure near their building corner 10th Ave and Olivine Str.
