Seemingly trying to win respect from the broader community, after being involved with the apartheid government, much to the discontent of the majority of local residents at the time, including Naeem Patel, Yusuf Abramjee has once more disappointed many residents living in the Laudium/Erasmia area.
This follows Abramjee’s seeming ‘singing to the gallery,’ praises for Cllr Naeem Patel and CPF District head (including the area of Laudium and Erasmia), Shaheen Wahab, going as far as telling both recently that they were ‘doing a good job’ in their respective positions. Many residents have questioned Abramjee’s motives, as they find the pair ‘incompetent’ in carrying out their duties in the best interests of the community of Ward 61. This follows yet more reports of crime and grime in the area, received by the Laudium Sun.
This follows yet more reports of crime and grime in the area, received by the Laudium Sun. In one of the recent reports of crime, thieves pounced on an Erasmia home, the previous Thursday evening, at around 7:30pm. The thieves arrived in a white bakkie and stole three female goats and three male goats from a property on Van Dyk Street, Erasmia, while the owner and his family were away on a family outing. The thieves managed to drive in and out without being spotted by the Police, the CPF Patrollers or the Gauteng Wardens. This, despite about 30 Wardens being deployed in the Erasmia area some time back, who were even allocated a BMW X5, by the ANC-led Gauteng Government (seemingly to get votes), to assist with patrols in the area, but as expected Abramjee did not say a word about the unacceptably poor patrols, carried out in Laudium or Erasmia, by those who have pledged to serve the community. Even Cllr Patel, who is a member of the ANC PCO, where members from the Gauteng Legislature and the National Assembly are represented, has seemingly been silent on the matter.
Abdul Hadi Khan, owner of the six goats stolen on Van Dyk Street, lamented to the Laudium Sun, “We were not at home as my family and I had gone out for a family outing on the day of the incident. We returned at around 10pm and discovered that all six of our goats had been stolen from the yard, where they were kept. We had bought the goats for an upcoming family function, but unfortunately crime is at its peak, with thieves now even stealing goats in Erasmia. After checking our CCTV footage, we saw at least two thieves, seemingly black African males, driving a white bakkie. They parked in front of our house, broke into the yard through the front gate and stole all six of our goats. It is really sad that even animals are no longer spared from these criminals. Crime on our street is very high, especially since the squatter camp came up nearby. There are no police or other law enforcement patrols in our area and the criminal activity is definitely increasing. If anyone has any information about my goats, please come forward, by contacting me or the Laudium Sun. The total cost of the six goats was approximately R30,000, which is a huge financial loss for me. We bought them for a special function, but the criminals don’t care about how we feel—they only care about their own gain. This is unacceptable. Something needs to change rapidly, to stop this ongoing crime in the area. We cannot continue to live in fear in our own community.”
Retired educator, Satchu Pillay, another resident of Van Dyk Street, told the Laudium Sun, “Crime on our street is extremely high and nowadays thieves steal anything and everything they can find in or outside our homes, which is really concerning. It feels like we can no longer leave our houses in peace, unless there is someone to watch. There was a time when we could keep our gates and doors open, but nowadays that is just a dream, because crime has become so bad. We live in constant fear of criminals and scammers. This has to change and we need proper laws and enforcement in place, so that we can live in peace.”
Aziz Moosa, also of Van Dyk Street, told the Laudium Sun, “I heard about the crime incident where thieves stole six goats. This is really shocking— these criminals won’t even spare animals. Crime is way too high in our area, even with high fences, security cameras, and home guards. We are not getting the protection we need and the leaders who have pledged to serve the best interests of our community, are also not helping us. The system is very weak and if things continue like this, I believe many of us will be forced to sell our properties and move elsewhere.”
