As services of the ANC/ActionSA Tshwane Council continue to slip, many individuals and local organisations have been assisting the community wherever possible, on projects that the Council is responsible for, but has failed in carrying out.
One of the recent interventions by the community is the filling of potholes by the Laudium Disaster Management (LDM), which is funded by the community. For long now the Tshwane Council has ignored the pleas of the community to urgently repair the potholes, which were getting deeper and widening, thus damaging the tyres of many vehicles. As a key role-player within the community, the LDM has thus taken the initiative to fill the potholes in the Laudium/Erasmia area, in order to avoid further damages to vehicles. Also, for long now, a ‘Laudium Cemetery Committee’ (LCC), has been formed with volunteers cleaning the cemetery and even securing the premises with palisade fencing and building walls around the cemetery, as the Council refused to replace the stolen fencing some years back. Despite the Council paying a contractor for three full-time security guards, the cemetery is often prone to thefts, including the recent theft of taps and steel bins. The guards are not effective at all as the cemetery remains swarming with nyaopes and others who harass family members visiting their dear deceased ones. Despite numerous complaints made to the Council and the local Councillor, the problem persists.
In the latest incident of crime, thieves broke down and vandalised a portion of the palisade fencing, despite it being secured with concrete by members of the LCC. The crime was discovered this past Monday (March 10) and is believed to have occurred in the early hours of the morning at around 4:30am. Ismail Essa (Smiley) who is a member of the LCC, told the Laudium Sun, “We are tired of the continuous crime that is occurring at the cemetery. We had numerous meetings with the Councillor and top of officials from Council, with the hope of them solving the ongoing problem of crime and nyaopes harassing residents for money, who come to pay respects to their dear deceased family members or friends. It is actually the Council’s responsibility to replace stolen taps and fencing, but each time, they claim that they don’t have money. We have had many generous donors who have contributed to the fencing and the boundary walling on the West side of the cemetery, now how do we go back to them and say we need more money to fix the damaged fencing Just where are the security guards? Why are they not patrolling the area instead of sitting at one place and why are they not stopping the nyaopes from harassing the residents for money.”
Abdul Cassim of Primrose Street told the Laudium Sun, “I came to pray for my deceased family member and then heard about the vandalism, which is really bad as this shows that these thieves will steal or damage anything, anywhere even at the cemetery. The Laudium Cemetery is in bad shape and if there aren’t any strict rules and regulations to stop this bunch of guys hanging around there, waiting to extort money from people like us, I guess we will lose this cemetery also like we are slowly losing Laudium. The crime rate has gone up so much in Laudium and I think that these thieves wanted to steal the fencing but could not carry it out as it was dipped in concrete. It is really sad to see how Laudium is collapsing day by day. The community must come together and fight against crime that is increasing in the area. Unfortunately, we cannot trust the politicians anymore so we have to take matters into our own hands. If we don’t fight the crime, we will lose Laudium very soon. The security at the Laudium Cemetery must be upgraded, especially at night when criminals take advantage and attack at the cemetery. This is not just a cemetery, it is the resting place of our loved ones. We come here to pray every day, but how can we do that with the rising crime in Laudium? This must stop, and we must stand together to fight these criminals.”
Murli Govender who lives near the cemetery on Brown Street told the Laudium Sun, “I was awake in the early part of the morning, at around 4:30am ??? when I went for my daily morning walk. I saw two guys hitting against the fencing at the Laudium Cemetery, but I didn’t even imagine that they were trying to steal it. I think they are the ones who damaged it. This is really bad for our community, when criminals don’t even leave the cemetery alone. The crime must stop, and our Laudium Police must wake up and catch the criminals who are destroying Laudium, piece by piece. I can’t believe that the security guards of the cemetery did not hear or see anything suspicious happening at that time. They are supposed to safeguard the cemetery, but I guess they are either too weak or very ignorant.”
must wake up and catch the criminals who are destroying Laudium.
Sinma Govender of Primrose Street, who also lives near the cemetery, told the Laudium Sun, “I heard about the attempted theft of the fencing at the Laudium Cemetery, and this is really concerning. The criminals are now targeting the cemetery and disturbing people who have already passed on. What kind of world are we living in where criminals harass us when we are alive, and then they don’t even leave us alone when we are dead? This is truly sad, and it must stop.”
what kind of world is it where ”criminals harass us when we are alive and don’t leave us alone when we are dead.”