Jeppe Police Station fails to give feedback to residents of George Goch hostel
JOHANNESBURG – A leader of George Goch residents, Skhuphe Makhathini, said they will ask for another meeting.
The top brass of Jeppe Police Station has failed to honour their promise to return to the residents of George Goch hostel with feedback regarding their grievances on their personal items allegedly being stolen by police during a recent raid.
This was after Colonel Mathipela Hlakotsa made the promise during a mass meeting with residents and police on 20 May, to give feedback to the hostel residents on 23 May.
According to induna Skhuphe Makhathini, the police have not honoured that promise and also failed to meet with the indunas which had been scheduled for 26 May.
“Hlakotsa and his people failed us. They did not return to us as promised and again failed to meet us for a meeting we were supposed to hold with them on 26 May, they told us that Hlakotsa was not available due to family issues he had to attend to,” said Makhathini
“It is clear that police don’t take us seriously but if they want us to take another route, we will definitely.”
A 24-year-old son of hostel resident Que Mavundla, Vulinhlanhla, who lost his ID and bank cards during the police raid following a cash in transit robbery in Ekurhuleni two weeks ago, said police refused to open a case for him at Jeppe.
“They told me to wait for other people who have also lost their valuables,” said Vulinhlanhla. Baffled by the response, Vulinhlanhla said he then asked if he could obtain an affidavit for his missing ID but this was allegedly refused. “I am worried that someone might get hold of my ID and commit fraud and then I will be held responsible and also accused of having failed to report it missing.”
Makhathini said they will ask for another meeting with the police before they take what he called ‘radical action’ on the matter of the missing hostel residents’ personal valuables.
