Muggers and hawkers speak out

POLOKWANE – With muggings, many of them violent, taking place on the city’s streets everyday, Review went undercover to find out why this type of crime is so successful and how it affects the people like hawkers who spend their days on the streets.

According to one mugger, introduced only as ‘SA’, muggers needed to use the hawkers in order to ensure that they successfully got away with their stolen items. “The hawkers keep the stolen stuff with them. When the police come around and do a stop and search on us, we have to be clean. That way they can do nothing,” he explained.

SA said the items that were targeted to be stolen changed from week to week as the market demand changed. “For example, in one area, we have a person selling cell phones. People contact him for the make of phone they want or he shows them what he has available. I am a supplier and make sure I get the makes of phones, car radios and other electronic items that are asked for. The dealer then buys them from me.

“My brother only specialises in jewellery and he has a contact of his own who either resells the jewellery or makes money out of melting it. It all depends on what is in demand,” SA explained said.

Some of the hawkers situated in the busiest streets of the city’s central business district, confirmed that they were forced by muggers to hide stolen items. “We have no option but to hide the stolen items as we are targeted to be robbed ourselves when we do not comply,” one hawker, who wished to remain anonymous, told Review.

She said the men who were responsible for the muggings were very violent and they used this violence to intimidate the hawkers. “Most of us are elderly women who have to travel long distances to get home, and it is during our travelling that we are confronted and forced to comply by the street thugs,” the woman explained.

She said in most cases they (hawkers) were followed by the thugs and then told that they must do as they were told as they (thugs) knew where they lived. “Sometimes our stands are broken or overturned to make sure that we comply with their wishes.”

Polokwane police spokesperson, Capt Ntobeng Phala, said the police were in the process of reaching out to the hawkers through the different community policing forums (CPF) in the city.

He said there were representatives who could assist the hawkers to ensure that the police received the information regarding these criminals.

He urged the hawkers to get involved with the CPF and join their Whatsapp groups in order to be able to give through information without placing themselves at risk by going to the police station.

Phala confirmed that the police were aware that hawkers were being used to hide stolen goods.