While many Laudium CPF members, under the leadership of Chair of the Pakistan South Africa Association, Zahid ul Zama, are busy campaigning for ANC Cllr Naeem Patel, crime in the area continues, with residents still living in fear.
While the local police and the CPF refuse to furnish the community with crime stats, not even on a weekly basis, the Laudium Sun remains dependent on concerned community members for news of incidents of crime in the area.
In one of the latest incidents reported to the Laudium Sun, at least two thieves entered the property of Dreshnie Pillay on Onyx Street, Laudium, last Tuesday night (Sept 22) at around 8.45pm. The pair of Black males then stole a number of items from the yard including steel piping, while the family was not home.
Dreshnie Pillay of Onyx Street, told the Laudium Sun, “We were not at home when the theft occurred as we were at my brother’s house and only returned home later that evening. When we arrived home at around 10pm, I noticed that the front gate of my house was open. This immediately made me suspicious, because I knew that I had left the property secured before we went out. I then went into the house to check if everything was in order and everything seemed to be okay. I then asked my domestic worker, who was at home at the time, as to why was the gate open, but she appeared shocked and told me that she was not aware that the gate had been left open. I then became concerned that someone may have entered the property without permission. I decided to check our CCTV footage to establish what had happened while we were away. When I watched the footage, I saw two Black guys entering our property. The footage showed the two thieves gaining access by jumping over the front gate. They then went into the yard and stole several steel pipes and other items that I had bought for some work at my house. The thieves then forced open the front gate in order to leave with the items they had stolen. I was very upset when I saw the footage because the steel pipes were expensive and not something that I had just left lying around without purpose. I had bought them for my house and had plans to use them for work on the property. Seeing someone enter my yard and steal something that belonged to me made me feel very uncomfortable and concerned about our safety in our own homes. What worries me even more is that crime has become a serious concern on our street. We do not feel safe when we are at home and feel unsafe when we leave our homes. It is incidents like this that make us wonder what could happen next. If thieves can simply jump over a front gate and enter someone’s property, then residents have every reason to be concerned. I reported the matter to the police and opened a case. I hope the police will investigate this crime thoroughly and that the perpetrators will be arrested. I also hope that more can be done to improve safety in our area because residents should be able to feel safe in their own homes. I would like to see stronger police action against criminals operating in our area. Although we do not live far from the police station, we very seldom see police patrols in our area and this gives criminals the opportunity to enter our properties without any fear of being caught.”
Canny Moodley, also of Onyx Street, told the Laudium Sun, “I heard about the theft from my neighbour’s yard. I feel that it is a serious concern for our community. People work hard for their money and when they purchase materials such as steel pipes for renovations to their homes, they expect those items to remain on their property until ready for use. It seems that residents are becoming scared to keep anything of value even in their own yards, because there is always a concern that thieves may steal these. This creates a situation where people are constantly worried about their belongings instead of concentrating on improving their homes and providing a better environment for their families. For me, the bigger problem is that this theft is not the first or last incident taking place on our street. Our community is facing a much wider crime problem and we need to look at the different issues affecting residents. The usage of drugs is one of the biggest concerns that I see harming our community. Easy access to drugs in our community is having a damaging effect on families, especially young people. I am deeply concerned about the easy availability of drugs in the area, right under the nose of the police and CPF. Drugs are being sold openly in places where people can see what is happening and this creates a frightening environment for parents. We have grandchildren growing up in this community and we do not want them to be surrounded by criminal activity and substance abuse. I also have concerns about drug dealers operating in our area, which residents have been speaking about for a long time. What worries me is that we, as residents, see the drug situation continuing without action being taken against the dealers. There are known places where not only residents but even children know drugs are being sold. Even the police know where they are, as police vans are often seen parked outside these places. There is a lot of rot and corruption in the police force, which the community has complained about to the Ministers and high-ranking police officers when they come to the area during elections, but nothing seems to happen thereafter, as the rot still continues. Parents should not have to worry about their children being exposed to drugs when they leave their homes. We need our children to have opportunities to grow up safely, attend school, build careers and become productive members of society. I also believe residents need to believe that they can report criminal activity without feeling that nothing will happen afterwards. When people repeatedly see problems continuing, they lose confidence and become reluctant to report such incidents again. That is dangerous because a community needs co-operation between residents and law enforcement to deal with crime. We need a caring and honest police force, a CPF that truly speaks for the community and politicians who care for the community and not more about themselves.”
