Despite residents in the Laudium area living in fear concerning crime, the Laudium Police and the CPF are still not releasing weekly crime stats, or even crime trends, to alert residents, for their own safety.
Instead, the Laudium CPF’s Shaheen Wahab seems to be more busy posing for photos at various scenes, as publicity stunts. So once more, the Laudium Sun, as the only community-based newspaper delivered door to-door in Laudium, has to rely on residents to report on crime happenings in the area, for stats purposes.
In one of the latest incidents of crime reported to the Laudium Sun, a motor vehicle was reported stolen this past Saturday afternoon (June 7), which had been parked outside a home on Corundum Street, Laudium. Much to the shock of the victim and neighbours in the area, the theft occurred in the seemingly safe security gated street and on the busy day of Eid. The theft of the car, a blue Toyota Yaris (registration number TRC 738 GP), was noticed by the owner, Shiraz Cassim (Gooloo), when he wanted to go out with his car at around 3:45pm. When Shiraz stepped out of his home, he was stunned to discover that his car had been stolen. According to CCTV footage later seen, Shiraz learnt that four Black males, who arrived in a white Maruti Suzuki Swift, were involved in the theft of the vehicle.
Shiraz told the Laudium Sun, “I came home from work at about 12:30pm for lunch, as it was the day of Eid. I parked my blue Toyota Yaris opposite my house, thinking that it was safe, as our street is part of the gated neighbourhood. After lunch, at around 3:30pm to 3:45pm, I left my house to go back to work and close my shop. As I stepped outside, I was shocked to find that my car was gone. Despite having gates on our street, this is the sixth time a Toyota has been stolen here. My neighbour’s car was also stolen a few months ago and, to this day, there’s been no trace of it. I reported the theft to the police and the case number is: 3217572. However, I have little hope that I will get my car back. Crime in Laudium is extremely concerning. We’ve seen so many organisations working to make the area safer, and ironically, Laudium has the most security companies—but the crime rate keeps increasing. This situation is truly unacceptable. Crime is rising rapidly every single day. I urge our local police authorities to investigate this matter thoroughly. I also advise community members to remain vigilant when parking their vehicles in front of their homes, as the risk is becoming alarmingly high, even in the gated areas.”
from outside his home on Eid day.
Corundum Street resident, Aunty Amina Gani, told the Laudium Sun, “It was my son’s car, and it was Eid day, so we were all celebrating. My son parked his car outside the house as he had to go later to his shop to close up. Around 3:45pm, when he went out, he saw that the car was gone and he couldn’t find it anywhere. This is really disgusting, and the level of crime in Laudium is very alarming. The police and all other relevant organizations must work actively to keep Laudium safe and secure. I hope the police investigate this case and recover my son’s car as soon as possible.”
Concerned Corundum Street resident, Haroon Mahomed, told the Laudium Sun, “I heard about the theft incident and as a neighbour, it is deeply concerning. We are really worried about the increasing number of vehicle theft cases. How can we park our cars outside now? This is truly scary—if we’re not safe even on our own street, despite having security and gates, what more can we do as a community to stay safe? This must stop. The local authorities must take serious action to prevent these crimes, because crime has reached another level.”
See the Laudium Sun Facebook page for CCTV footage of the car theft.