Yet again its Friday and yet again another weekly publication of the Laudium Sun is being delivered door to door at all homes in Laudium, Erasmia and surrounding areas and is also eagerly being read, by many others from far and wide, via our online publication.
But, yet again, is the publishing in the Laudium Sun of the reports of crime that took place in the area this past week. Also yet again, is the deafening silence of the various political parties concerning the worrisome crime that is affecting the community.
However, what is almost certain, is that soon, as the election campaign kicks off, candidates standing for the forthcoming local government elections will be visible all over the area, and will even be visiting local crèches and be seen playing with little kids, in order to win the vote of residents and thereafter… is anyone’s guess.
Back to the real world, another incident of crime took place recently in Laudium, when the driver of a courier company was hijacked as he approached a Bengal Street home and the goods in his delivery vehicle were stolen. The incident which occurred last Wednesday afternoon, at around 3:30pm, shocked neighbours who expressed fear and called on police to do more to keep the area safe from criminals. Bengal Street resident, Shireen Abdulkader, who witnessed the incident, described to the Laudium Sun her ordeal, “I was sitting on my outside stoep, when I noticed a courier vehicle arriving in front of my neighbour’s gate. But, within a few seconds thereafter, a white car with three guys inside arrived and stopped behind the courier vehicle. As the driver of the courier vehicle got out, I think he was about to deliver a parcel at my neighbour, then two guys from the white car jumped out. They seemed to be armed. The one guy grabbed the driver of the courier company and pulled him into their car. The other guy, jumped into the courier vehicle and drove it away, followed by the white vehicle. This whole incident took place within a minute or so. These thugs were so fast that I am sure they are used to hijacking vehicles. It was like a movie. The crime in Laudium, more so in our area, is too high and it is very dangerous now to live here. I don’t know where in Laudium it is safe anymore and my family and I don’t feel safe living in this area, at all. We have also had a bad experience with crime, after criminals broke into our house. What kind of life is this? Our homes get invaded by criminals, our cars get stolen from us, whilst we are driving into our own yards. Where can we live in peace now? I hope the police will arrest these guys, as the courier guy regularly comes next door. He has also made deliveries to us a few times. It is shameful that he was attacked in Laudium, which many outside people think is safer than the townships, but clearly this is not the case. After this incident, I doubt that the courier driver will come here again, as it would be traumatic for him that is if he is still alive. I believe that the law should be harsher on these thieves. The problem is that thugs know that even if they get caught by the police, they will be walking the streets the next day.”
Tebogo Thubakgale, the driver of ‘The Courier Guy’, told the Laudium Sun,” I had just parked my vehicle in front of the gate of a home on Bengal Street, to make a delivery, when a white car stopped behind me. There were three guys inside the car, but two of them jumped out quickly from their car, whilst the driver remained in the car. They had guns in their hands and ran towards me. Before I could do anything, the one guy had a gun pointed towards me and pushed me inside their car. The other guy then drove away with my vehicle. In one of the streets in Laudium, they met the guy with my vehicle and then pushed me out from their car. They searched my vehicle and found 3 parcels. They took 2 parcels, as the third one contained only documents. They also took my cellphone and threw my vehicle keys into the bush, after which they drove off in their white car. I did not realise that Laudium was so dangerous.”
