Residents lose cool as theft of water taps continues

Theft of water copper pipes and taps from gardens continues to be a problem for local residents who are now losing their cool, as they believe police are not doing enough to curb the growing crime problem, especially in the Aquamarine Street area and more so, as the crimes are being committed during curfew times, when no person, without a valid reason, is supposed to be on the streets.
Just two weeks ago, the Laudium Sun reported (February 26 issue, page 5) on a number of garden taps and copper water pipes being stolen from homes on Aquamarine Street. Since then, a number of other residents from the area, have also complained about garden taps being stolen during the course of the night.
In the latest incident reported to the Laudium Sun, another home on Aquamarine Street was hit by crime, with water copper pipes and two taps being stolen, this past Friday, (March 5). However, this time the thief or thieves entered the back portion of the yard, which has become really worrisome for residents, as they fear the culprits are becoming more daring and could soon even enter their homes. Home owner, Ismail Alli said, “I went to bed at approximately 11pm on Thursday evening and all was okay, as I had used the bathroom just before going to bed. However, when I woke up in the morning (Friday), at around 6am, there was no water in the tap. At first I thought it was a council problem, but then later when I went to my back yard to fetch something, I noticed two of the taps missing. Upon closer inspection I saw that even the copper pipes feeding water to the taps were missing. I was so shocked. I later learned that the culprits closed the tap of the main water supply, which is in the front of the house. They probably closed it first, so that we would not hear any water gushing out after they ripped the pipes and also to make their devious task easier. This really is such an inconvenience to me because it costs money to replace all the stolen items and also not having water for hours is such a pain. It’s unfair and very frustrating. I suspect it’s these young guys walking around, who look for any opportunity to make a quick buck illegally, just to buy their sniffing drugs,” Ismail fumed.
Ismail’s immediate neighbour, Swaleha Mukadam was also a victim of the exact same crime. She too woke up that same morning and discovered copper pipes and taps had been stolen from her back yard. “I thought I heard noises early Friday morning at around 2am, but I didn’t think much of it. It sounded like squeaky noises, probably when they were using a spanner to take the pipes and taps out. I assume it was more than one person because the same thing happened to my neighbour that night. His taps and copper pipes were also stolen from his yard”.
SAPS Spokesperson Sergeant Simon Chokoe told the Laudium Sun, “We received a report of one incident only. A case of theft of taps and pipes has been opened for further investigation. If community members have any information regarding these crimes, you may report it anonymously to 012 374 9847”.