While many of the Exco members of the Laudium CPF seem to be more interested in having breakfast with acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia and a selected grouping in the name of ‘addressing crime,’ while promoting their ANC Councillor, crime spirals in the area, leaving residents with sleepless nights.
This past Sunday (August 9), while law-abiding South Africans were observing Women’s Day, two male thieves were busy taking advantage of the peaceful day by stealing a kitchen sink belonging to a local housewife.
The two Black thieves entered the yard of Ruby Macoba on Kathmandu Street, Laudium Ext 3, on Sunday night at around 7pm while the family was out. The thieves reportedly gained entry by jumping over the fence at the back of the property, before entering the yard.
Ruby told the Laudium Sun, “My family and I were not at home and there was no one else in the house when the theft took place. When we came home at around 9pm on Sunday evening, we immediately noticed that the new kitchen basin, which we had just bought and planned to install, was missing from the yard. We had placed the basin in the yard because we intended to install it the following day. We believed that our yard was secure and that it would be safe there until we were ready to install it the very next day. Unfortunately, we were wrong because two thieves managed to enter our property and steal the brand-new kitchen basin from the yard while we were away. After noticing that the basin was missing, we checked the CCTV footage to see what had happened. The footage showed two thieves gaining entry to the property by jumping over the fence from the back of the house. They then entered the yard and stole the kitchen basin before leaving the property. This is really worrisome, because we no longer feel safe at all in our home. It is frightening to think that criminals can enter your property when you are not at home and simply take things that you have bought for your household without any repercussions. We thought that our yard was secure but this incident has made us realise that we cannot take our security for granted. Crime on Kathmandu Street is becoming a serious concern and it appears that these thieves are targeting houses when they know there is no one at home. We have registered a theft case at the Laudium Police Station and I hope that the police will investigate the matter and that we will be able to get our kitchen basin back. I also hope that the culprits will be identified and caught so that they can be held accountable for what they have done. It is very upsetting that we cannot even leave something in our own yard without worrying that thieves will enter the property and steal it. We hope that this incident will also serve as a warning to other residents to remain vigilant and to check their security measures. We need to feel safe in our own homes and I hope something will be done by those in authority to address the increasing theft in the area.”
Rahim Abdul, also of Kathmandu Street, told the Laudium Sun, “This theft is really bad because nowadays people cannot even leave their houses without worrying that when they return, they may realise that thieves had entered their property. People should be able to leave their homes without constantly fearing that criminals may target their properties while they are away. There needs to be effective law and order, otherwise we are really going backwards as a community. Residents should not have to live in fear of criminals entering their properties and stealing their belongings. When incidents like this continue to happen, it creates a feeling of insecurity among residents and makes people question whether they are really safe in their own neighbourhood. Thieves are gaining control and continuing with their criminal activities and this cannot be allowed to continue. If criminals believe that they can enter properties and steal from residents without being caught, then the situation will only become worse. We need stronger action against crime and we need to see more efforts made by the police, the CPF and the politicians to prevent these incidents from happening and to work with the entire community, not a selective group only. As residents, we also have a responsibility to look after our community and to stand together against crime. If we simply ignore what is happening around us, then we cannot expect the situation to improve. We need to remain vigilant and report suspicious activity whenever we see it. If, as a community, we do not do anything to decrease the crime statistics, then I believe we are failing badly as a community. We cannot sit back and allow criminals to take advantage of our streets and our residents. Everyone has a role to play in making the community safer.”
Kathmandu Street resident, Sumaya Ismail, told the Laudium Sun, “We need law enforcement to do their part but the community must also work together and remain alert. We should not wait until something serious happens before we take action. The increasing incidents of theft are a warning that we now need to take crime seriously. People work hard for their homes and belongings and it is unfair that they should have to worry about losing these to criminals. We want to live in a community where residents feel safe, where people can leave their homes without fear and where criminals know that their actions will have consequences. I believe that if the police and CPF open up to work with all law-abiding residents in the area, we can make a difference. But if we continue doing nothing, then crime will continue to grow and as a community we will be the ones to suffer.”