Residents in Laudium are once more up in arms concerning the failure of the local police in maintaining law and order in the area and to protect residents from armed thugs, who continue to drive in and out of Laudium, freely attacking whenever or whoever they want to.
This follows a shooting incident described as the ‘wild west’ on the streets of Laudium, the past Tuesday night (Sept 17), resulting in a
resident being killed. The armed thugs who were believed to be driving a white Polo fired a volley of bullets at the car of Gonaseelan
(Gono) Naidoo (52), a grey Toyota Raf 4, as he was driving on Aquamarine Street on his way to his nearby home at the corner of 17th
Avenue and Jacinth Street, Laudium at around 8pm. Gono’s car is believed to have ‘spinned’ thereafter hitting the car of an Indian national,
a Hyundai Atos, resulting in the Indian national sustaining injuries. According to reports received, about 17 shots were fired at Gono’s car by his assailants with a number of bullets hitting Gono including one to his neck, resulting in him dying at the scene. Residents say that a number of shells and even a projectile was also found at the scene. Whilst the Laudium CPF issued a formal statement that the shooting incident is “suspected to be a drug-related incident” a local police official who did not want to be named told the Laudium Sun, “We do not speculate and it is incorrect to speculate as speculation can misdirect the investigation. All we can say for now is that we are still busy with our investigations and the motive for the shooting will be revealed during the course of our investigation.” Many residents have questioned how the armed thugs in the white Polo managed to drive into Laudium and leave without being spotted by the various anti crime patrollers, more so as there has been an ‘alert lookout’ for a white Polo which has been linked to a number of armed attacks on businesses and residents in the area. Ridwaan
Omar of Bengal Str, told the Laudium Sun, “I am not saying that this is the same white Polo that was involved in the shooting on Tuesday night and the various robberies carried out by occupants of a white Polo, over the past few months on businesses and homes in the area. But, the fact is that the local police and the various patrollers should have been on alert regarding a white Polo with suspicious occupants, involved in a number of robberies in the past and any white Polo car should have been closely monitored driving into and leaving Laudium”. A number of residents living in the Aquamarine Str area including those living on Emerald Str, told the Laudium Sun that when they heard the first gunshots they immediately called the police but were disappointed that the police arrived only after the assailants drove off from the scene. The Laudium Sun asked media liaison officer for the Laudium police, Sgt Simon Chauke for an official comment on the shooting incident, however Simon said, “I am not allowed to talk to the media on this matter. I cannot say if this was a drug related shooting.”
The Laudium Sun then contacted Tshwane Police Communication Co-ordinator, W/O Johan Van Dyk, who said, “It is alleged that on 2024/9/17 20:05 the deceased drove his grey Toyota along Aquamarine street Laudium and was followed by a white Polo. Shots were fired from the white Polo at the Toyota causing the Toyota to collide into a Hyundai Atos before losing control and coming to a standstill. The Saps was summoned and found the deceased with multiple gunshot wounds and declared deceased by medical personnel. 13 cartridges were found on the scene and one projectile.” *The funeral service of Gono will be taking place today (Friday) at the Omega Ministries Church on Primrose Str between 10am to 12pm and thereafter will proceed to the Laudium Cemetery for burial.