Time and time again, the Laudium Sun has reported on various crimes being committed in the Laudium area, when the victims least expected it and were in fact shocked that their items had been stolen, more so as the items were stolen from a perceived secured yard and in broad daylight, when residents wrongly believe that they or their items are safe from thieves. It is evident that nothing is safe from falling into the hands of thieves, as reported in our previous issues.
Neither taps nor copper pipes, not even name stones on graves are free from the clutches of thieving opportunists who seem to prefer to steal, than to earn an honest living. In fact those residents who are struggling to make ends meet, but continue to walk on the path of earning honestly are also being targeted by thieves who steal the very little that these hardworking residents have. Like hyenas, thieves prowl the streets of Laudium and as soon as they spot a chance to attack, they do so without any shame or conscience. It doesn’t matter who their target is, even if is someone who is battling financially to make ends meet, to provide for his family. This is the hard lesson a local motor mechanic, who is barely making ends meet, learnt last Tuesday; that anyone and everyone is a target of prowling thieves.
Ghanian national, Bonaparte Nace, a motor mechanic who hires a small space on Eosin Street in White Blocks, from where he operates his workshop, told the Laudium Sun, “I had just left my workshop at around midday, to give one of my clients his car, as I had finished repairing it and he did not have anyone to fetch it. I was not gone for long, at most it was about 30 minutes. But when I came back at around 12:30 noon, I saw my place in a mess. My tools were gone and car parts that I had bought to repair another car were also gone. I was shocked. It is very disappointing that one cannot do one’s work in peace, as thieves are looking for any opportunity to steal. They stole many things from my small workshop. They even took a car battery, my toolbox with a set of drill bits, four carpets, car jumper cables, two tyre rims and a car radio speaker. The thieves must have come with a bakkie, as so many items were stolen. Yet, when I asked the people around, as there are many people who stand outside their homes or walk in the streets, they all said that they had not seen anything. To replace the stolen items will cost me a few thousand Rand. Where will I get this money from? I am not a wealthy person and I have a family to support and I am renting a place to stay. I came to South Africa, which is far from my home, to work and earn an honest living, but these thieves think they are allowed to just take from us whatever and whenever they want, as they know that the police will not catch them. There is this sense of entitlement in this country, which is growing rapidly and that is extremely dangerous. I want whoever stole my things to either bring back all the things or pay me the money to replace it or the person or persons must go to jail. Business has been quiet since last year and now that it is slowly picking up, these thieves have made it difficult for me, as I cannot work without my tools. This is very bad for my business, as I have suffered a huge setback because of these greedy thieves. I have given the police information of someone who was spotted with my tools. They have questioned the person and are investigating the matter further.”
