Westville residents call for fencing on M19 after brutal Westville murder
The plea to erect a fence on the M19 was sparked by the murder of Johan Kriek, manager of Rieks Towing Durban. Kriek was described as a man who helped many road users and was always willing to go the extra mile.
WESTVILLE residents are calling for a fence to be erected along the M19 following the murder of Johan Kriek who was killed during an home invasion on Roger Sishi Road.
ALSO READ: Westville man murdered in home invasion
Kriek, a branch manager at Rieks Towing in Durban, was stabbed last Tuesday while trying to defend his family.
He was rushed to hospital where he sadly passed away. Michael van der Meulen of Westville North Cowies Projects (WNCP), a community non-profit company that supports neighbourhood watches through its community control room and CCTV cameras, said the community is vulnerable due to poorly maintained fences on the M19 and M13 which have become corridors for criminals.
“In the past, we had issues with criminals using the New Germany Nature Reserve as an escape route. The municipality assisted by erecting security fences, but the main point of concern is the M19,” he said.
Van der Meulen pointed out that M19 is a provincial road and a few years ago they applied to the Department of Transport to erect a fence along the M19.
He added that since the lockdown regulations were relaxed, there has been an increase in crime in the area.
“We have been left vulnerable and we would appreciate if the transport department could take this issue seriously,” said van der Meulen.
Over the past five years there had been at least seven murders in the Westville area, including Jongikhaya Phayiphi, Gordon Donaldson, Pierre van Schalkwyk, Gary MacKay, Paresh Bodalia and Yashin Bagwandeen.
A mobile closed circuit television (CCTV) command and control centre, to monitor crime in the area, was erected at the corner of Rodger Sishi and Dunkeld roads after the outcry from the community who believed that Westville was under siege.
Westville SAPS communications officer, Capt Elizabeth Squires said no arrests have been made as yet.
FleetWatch, an online trucking magazine, posted a moving post about Kriek on its Facebook page which read:
“Sad news is that Johan Kriek, manager of Rieks Towing Durban, was brutally murdered in his home in the early hours of this morning. His son was also stabbed in the attack but thankfully he is OK. Johan was a man who came to the help of so many people out on the roads. He and his team worked closely with Emergency Services on crash scenes and he was always willing to go the extra mile in helping others during their times of trauma. One of the last posts Johan put up on his Facebook page before his brutal murder was this: “If I see a police officer being injured or attacked, I will defend their life.” And last night, he was attacked and killed. He did not deserve to die this way – and his family does not deserve this heartache. FleetWatch extends sincere condolences to Johan’s family, friends and all his colleagues at Rieks Towing. He will be sorely missed. May he RIP.”
Caxton Local Media Covid-19 reporting
Do you want to receive alerts regarding this and other Highway community news via Telegram? Send us a Telegram message (not an SMS) with your name and surname (ONLY) to 060 532 5409. You can also join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
