EDITOR – The situation with the builders and vagrants on Hendrik Potgieter Street is out of hand.
As I type this mail from my office on Keymer Road, I am looking out the glass door at two builder vagrants who are looking at myself and a colleague from across the road at a stop street and licking their lips sexually, making eye contact and laughing.
My colleague had just got back from the shops when the two vagrants stood on either side of her car intimidating her.
She’s had to run inside and lock the Trellidor.
Also read: Vagrants move into homestead
We phoned the Edenvale SAPS only to be laughed at and put on hold with no reply on the other end.
I am a 22-year-old woman residing in the Avenues. Every morning as I drive out and get to my stop street there are 15 vagrants waiting for people to pick them up for building jobs.
I’m too scared to look up when I drive out my house in case I make eye contact with them.
These vagrants have unashamedly looked down my top from outside the car, wolf whistled, stood outside our gate intimidating women and have even chased me.
They watch the movements of households in our road, of which one has been robbed at gunpoint in the last six months, and two others have had burglaries.
On one occasion they threw rocks and pieces of brick at my boyfriend and I, they also threatened to watch and wait for our car.
We got out of the road as soon as possible and happened upon a roadblock 100 metres down from where the incident occurred, the male officer assured us he would get rid of them.
15 minutes later the cop was long gone and there were double the number of vagrants waiting for us with bricks.
Not even two nights ago my 16-year-old sister-in-law and mother-in-law were nearly robbed at McDonalds Edenvale.
The weekend before that my sister-in-law’s Uber was surrounded by vagrants of which one pulled out a gun and the Uber barely got away by reversing.
I am too scared to leave my house and now they’ve migrated all the way down Hendrik Potgieter and Main Road and are sitting all along Keymer.
Our Community Police Forum and Edenvale SAPs claim to be doing so much great work, yet Edenvale is getting worse and worse.
The police in this community are so focused on drug busts but I beg to question if the drug issue would be so rife if we weren’t playing host to the jobless and desperate that filters in from surrounding areas.
Also read: Vagrants live in Sebenza field
It seems the vagrant population is growing like a big monster because it is being fed by lack of police effort and presence.
Take McDonalds Edenvale’s resident hobos, there is a young red haired white male and old Indian male (who couldn’t afford a bus trip back to Durban) that along with two elderly white males make up the hobo residence who intimidate the drive through patrons.
If you ask them to leave you alone they go inside McDonalds!
The McDonalds staff will call the police who will ride around the facility once, walk inside and take a look and by that time the vagrants have walked across the street and act like they aren’t the reason the police were called.
The McDonalds staff will even tell you themselves that they don’t bother calling the police anymore because nothing can be done unless they catch the hobos intimidating you then and there!
How long until vagrants start harming woman and girls like the case reported in your paper about the Bedfordview vagrants?
I implore you to please investigate and publish this matter so something can be done and the police will finally take this matter seriously.
I suggest a petition for local residents just like the Bedfordview residents did!
Honestly I am so traumatised by these men/builders that even sending this mail fills me with fear.
Sincerely,
Too scared to be at home or at work, too scared to live in Edenvale anymore!
In response to the letter the Edenvale SAPS spokesperson, Captain Jean Olckers said the following.
The complainant has not approached the Edenvale SAPS and opened a case in connection to this matter.
We can only better the service of members if complaints are opened and the matters addressed
Also read: Vagrants invade Bedfordview
Community members are more than welcome to open a case at the police station.
Station commander Colonel Malesela Mapulane’s doors are always open.
Regarding the matter of the vagrants/ builders, the people seeking jobs are not necessarily committing an offence by standing there.
The Edenvale SAPS has conducted operations on Hendrick Potgieter Street during which the the jobseekers and vagrants were searched and profiled.
However, Olckers said it is difficult to police if no offence has been committed.
“Police officers cannot chase the people away and infringe on their rights. We have done what the law has allowed us to do,” said Olckers.
After reading the letter, Linda McKenzie who is the chairperson of the Edenvale Community Police Forum (ECPF), told the NEWS if community members feel threatened or witness a crime they must open a case at the Edenvale SAPS and the EMPD.
McKenzie said concerns regarding bylaw infringements can be sent to Inspector Eddie Hart of the EMPD at eddie.hart@ekurhuleni.gov.za
She said community members must follow the correct procedures.
If community members find the service of the SAPS non-satisfactory, McKenzie urged them to to approach the ECPF.
To report crimes phone:
- 10111
- 0860010111.
- Edenvale SAPS sector vehicles contact 071 675 6841/2/3/4.
