The residents of Steynsvlei in Muldesdrift are up in arms with the spurge of crime attacks and armed robberies that have targeted their homes, after one resident was shot dead on Saturday 20 September.
A spokesperson for the Steynsvlei-Nothvale Ratepayer’s Association (SNRA) – whose identity is withheld – says for her family, the attacks began on 24 May when her mother was attacked in the house.
Her partner ran outside after her mother shouted for help before gun shots were fired.
She said, “I dived into the bush and dialled 10111, and the operator asked why I had and attitude before putting the phone down in my ear. I then called my son, who was in Highlands North and he arrived here in 15 minutes. He found the police looking for my farm.
“Our Sector 3 police do not know our area,” she added.
As a result, she lodged an official complaint against 10111 and had a hearing date last month, for which she is still waiting for an outcome.
However, the attacks in the area have not ceased and residents say their calls to the police are often done in vain.
Ward 29 councillor Jacques Hoon said they are aware of the attacks in the area, but the necessary resources are not available to deal with the crimes.
“It takes police a while to respond to such cases and they first have to see a spike of attacks in the area. We have had Community Policing Forum (CPF) meetings and the matter is receiving attention,” he assured.
“It also goes back to the competency of the national government as far as providing the adequate resources,” Hoon added.
Subsequently, the SNRA spokesperson said the association plans to form a sub-sector of the CPF because they receive very little support from the police and their CPF.
“There have been a number of murders in the area and we believe they are part of a syndicate. They know our properties very well and they relieve themselves on our properties so that our dogs get used to their smells,” she added.
The association has mobilised itself in the neighbourhood with Whatsapp groups and two-way radios to communicate with each other, and have since had a handful of meetings among themselves and security companies, including Drift Security.
Owner of Drift Security Jacques Treptow said from their operations, they believe the people attacking residents are the same ones involved in the murders.
“Every night there is activity. We use the Whatsapp groups to notify one another when something happens. We conduct operations every week and have increased our vehicles and visibility, sometimes we work with the SAPS and they get involved,” said Treptow.
“We cannot be 100 per cent sure, but we believe these are the same people that were involved in the mass murders on Clinic Road a while back,” he informed.
Bernice Read, the spokesperson’s 78-year-old mother who was assaulted, said, “Some people sleep in the afternoon so that they can stay awake at night. We feel like prisoners in our homes because we are constantly in fear for our lives.”
Attempts to contact Muldersdrift Police for comment were unsuccessful at the time of going to print.
