Despite the Laudium CPF, headed by the chairperson of the South African Pakistan Association, Zahid ul-Zama, raising funds from the community for CPF Patrollers, many residents say that they are yet to see the patrollers active on their streets.
Residents have also been complaining of poor policing patrols, investigations and reaction time, adding that the Exco of the CPF seems to be more interested in promoting the ANC and Cllr Naeem Patel, instead of addressing their concerns regarding crime. While the CPF and the local police refuse to release details of weekly crimes reported (including modus operandis) affecting the community, such as robberies, residents remain living in fear.
In one of the latest reports of crime received by the Laudium Sun, from concerned members of the community, for stats purposes, a house burglary took place in Laudium, last Sunday night, at around 10:45pm. At least two Black males (captured on CCTV) were involved in the break-in at a home on the gated Taj Street, Laudium Ext 2 area. The thieves managed to enter and leave the premises without being spotted by the local police or the so called CPF patrollers. It is believed that the thieves ransacked the home looking for valuables and had information that the owners were away. The thieves managed to steal a number of valuables, including cash, expensive household items and electronic equipment, with the break-in only discovered the following day, Monday, when the owner, Ashraf Ismail and his family returned from Durban.
males (captured on CCTV footage), who were looking for valuables. It is
suspected that they had information that the owners were away.
by thieves to gain entry to the property.
Francina Alotsi, domestic worker at the targeted Taj Street home, told the Laudium Sun, “I work part-time here and when I came to work after the family came back from their holiday, I heard about the break-in. My boss went to Durban with his family and they only got to know about the theft when they came back on Monday. It was very sad for them to come back home and find that their house had been broken into while they were away. I heard that the thieves stole cash and many other items from the house. The thieves gained entry into the house, by first jumping over the front gate and then they broke the lock and the front door. After seeing the CCTV footage, my boss said that there were two thieves seen on the cameras and that they cleverly broke into the house without being noticed by the neighbours or anyone else in the area. When I was sweeping the yard the next day, I found a small bag of weed, which clearly shows that the thieves were there because in this house no one smokes weed. This made me feel very uncomfortable and worried because it shows the kind of criminals who are stealing and attacking people, entering private property without being worried as they freely move around. This is really bad for all of us working or living in the area, as there is no protection from the police in Laudium. Laudium is not safe anymore. I have been working for many years in Laudium, but since the past few years, crime has really increased and there is no control over it now. Every day we hear about house break ins, theft and other crimes and it is becoming very stressful for people who live and work here. Something needs to be done to improve safety in the area and to protect residents and workers from these criminals.”
Jennifer Williams of Taj Street told the Laudium Sun, “I heard about the break-in near our house and this is really concerning because these thieves seem to know who is at home and who is away. That is how they are targeting houses these days. I believe that someone is giving them information about who is away from their homes, like who has gone on holiday and things like that, because how else can thieves just come into a gated street and so easily break into a house. It is really strange and very worrying for all of us living here. It makes a person feel very unsafe because you start thinking that thieves are watching your movements and keeping track of when you leave your home. It feels like there is no privacy anymore and that criminals are always one step ahead. Even though we try our best to secure our homes, it still does not seem to be enough. That is what makes the situation so frustrating and stressful for residents. The Laudium Police are not doing their job at all. There is no visible patrolling from them in our area. We hardly see police vehicles driving around, especially at night when these incidents usually take place. The local CPF Community Patrollers are also nowhere to be found and it feels like residents have been left to deal with crime on their own. It is all very disappointing because we depend on these structures for our safety. Crime in Laudium has really increased and it is now becoming very dangerous to live here. Almost every day we hear about new incidents of crime and this creates fear among residents. People are constantly talking about safety and what steps they can take to protect themselves and their families. This is not how a community should live, always worrying about crime and what might happen next. Even simple plans like going on holiday have now become stressful. Instead of looking forward to a holiday break, you have to now worry about whether there would be a break-in at your house while you are away. It seems that residents have to ask someone to stay at their house while away on holiday, because leaving a house empty is just too risky at the moment. There needs to be stronger action taken by the CPF, the police and the politicians to address this situation. There should be more visible police and CPF patrols to discourage criminals. Residents also need to work together and look out for each other, because right now it feels like everyone is vulnerable. The situation cannot continue like this, because it is affecting the peace of mind of the entire community.”
