According to the residents of Westergloor Gardens, being too scared to go to sleep or to set foot out of the house is the only reality they know.
On 23 October, the Herald reported that the open field between the complex and Toekomsrus is a hot spot for crime, drugs and illegal dumping. The crime in this area has escalated since then, and many residents are complaining to the caretaker every day.
According to Nicolene Raats, caretaker at Westergloor Gardens, the long grass in this open field is a perfect hiding spot for criminals and it makes the complex an easy target.
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They have reported the issue to the municipality as well as the ward councilor but nothing has been done to make the area safer.
“The crime is so bad that we have appointed a security guard. The complex’s electrical fence gets cut regularly and strangers fidget at the doors and windows of the elderly residents. Some children walk through this field to school and back, and I often hear that they were threatened with knives and robbed of their cellphones. There have also been rapes here,” said Nicolene.
One of the residents, Duane Kock, was so fed up with the crime that he reported it to the police but without any evidence, he didn’t have a case.
“We are too scared to go to sleep and we can never leave the house, because they will steal everything while we are out. We can’t live like this any more,” he said.
Lately, most of the copper pipes on the outside of the houses in the complex are being stolen at night and even during the day.
According to Manie Minnaar, the security guard, these thieves are so quick that they have already escaped over the electric fence by the time he realises that water is running and that the pipes have been stolen.
“The crime is escalating and these criminals are very smart. They get away with their crimes every time.”
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