Thieves turn Berea intersection into crime hotspot

The busy intersection at King Dinuzulu and Cleaver Roads in Berea, KwaZulu-Natal, is fast becoming known as a hotbed of crime, where gangs rob pedestrians, motorists, and DUT students passing through, reports Berea Mail.

Last week, after a motorist was stabbed, the owner of a business located at the intersection has made an urgent appeal for more policing, warning that it won’t be long before someone is killed.

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Speaking to Berea Mail, the man, who asked not to be named as he feared for his own safety, said people were robbed at the intersection on a daily basis.

“This is a busy intersection and it is a notoriously dangerous area. For four years I have seen people being robbed here. Something needs to be done about it before someone is killed,” he said.

On Thursday last week, a motorist was stabbed in his hand when the vehicle he was in was surrounded by six men at the intersection. His son-in-law told Berea Mail they had stopped at the robots behind one vehicle when six young, well-dressed men surrounded the car.

“Four men armed with a knife went to my father-in-law’s side of the car where his window was open about four inches. He tried to stop them from stealing from him and in the process suffered defensive wounds on his right arm, and his palm and the top of his left hand were badly cut and he had to undergo surgery. It shouldn’t be a case of he was lucky to get away with his life, it shouldn’t be the way we live. The police know about it as well, something needs to be done. I have lived in the area all my life and it’s sickening what is happening here,” he said.

According to the owner of the business at the intersection, a young man was robbed by the same gang in the same spot the day after the stabbing.

“It’s mostly after 4pm when there is a lot of traffic. There are around three to four different gangs that operate from here, and when the DUT students are around, they are also mugged. The men run down to Warwick Junction and are gone,” he said, adding that many people didn’t open a case as the area fell under Umbilo SAPS’s jurisdiction, and the police station wasn’t nearby.

He said he had approached Col John Romer from Umbilo SAPS about the issue and requested undercover police presence, as when marked police vans did go by, the thieves would disperse.

“We need a CCTV camera at this intersection and for barbed wire to be erected on the wall along Cleaver Road, which the men escape over. There are garages behind the wall which serve as a hiding place as well. These need to be cleared out,” he said.

In response, Col Romer said there were around 200 hotspots which fell under the Umbilo SAPS’s policing area which had to be prioritised. “Unfortunately, the man was hurt on Thursday, however we can’t be at this intersection all the time as we have limited manpower. This is where I hope our new CPF will come in to help. I have met with the business owner about this problem and we have on two occasions over the past few months raided the garages, however we didn’t find any contraband. Two months ago, one of my officers made an arrest at this intersection, but it has since gone cold on paper.”

Heather Rorick, the chairperson of the newly elected Umbilo CPF, said: “Something we plan to do is to identify the most problematic incidents in each area and look at how and why these incidents are happening, and then tackle these to look for a solution to help curb the crimes in both Cleaver and Berea Roads. We also want to work with residents or business owners who may have information that may help us tackle the crime in the hotspot areas. Often there are people with information yet they are either too afraid to come forward or they don’t know who they can trust to give the information to. We urge these residents or business owners to contact the CPF.”

She said the CPF would be working very closely with Col Romer and his members on the concerns of the residents in the area to find ways to deal with the issues raised.

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