“When the night sets, that is when people get jittery,” says a resident in Muldersdrift after a recent attack at Jenny’s Pub on Monday 29 September.
This is the eighth incident that has taken place at the local pub and grill. However, the robbery is just a speck to an otherwise bigger picture of constant criminal activity.
Jenny Theron, the owner of the pub, is clearly frustrated when she goes over the events of how her pub has been broken into 12 times this year alone.
She says the four attackers broke in at around 2am and stole two TVs including a 55″ flat screen.
Theron says police officers have provided very little help since the first incident in February.
“They tied up my security guard but luckily he got himself loose and escaped. He ran to the Sasol garage across the road and asked the police officers to come and help, but the officer gave him a number to call instead of assisting, and the Flying Squad and Dog Unit were all there but they did not do anything.”
Residents in the area are at their wits’ end and are experiencing attacks every night. One resident (identity withheld) who was recently in hospital following several attacks says efforts to contact police members are always in vain or often played down.
“I heard gunshots outside my house a couple of weeks ago followed by screaming and shouting. I immediately phone the constable and he said ‘Are you sure it is not people dancing under the stars?’ He completely downplayed the situation and treated it like a joke.”
Jenny Theron says although the police arrived ten minutes after the alarm went off, they made no effort to try and catch the perpetrators.
“This place is fairly big and the area is wide, if they really wanted to they would have caught the men but they just gave us paper work to fill out.”
Community members have taken it upon themselves to protect themselves by creating whatsapp groups and communicating with two-way radios.
A spokesperson of the Steynesvlei-Nothvale ratepayers association (SNRA) says they plan on starting their own sub-sector because of the lack of cooperation from the police and the Community Policing Forum (CPF).
“Last year we had an incident where a ballistic report was forged by [police] after a resident was attacked at his home. When the magistrate asked for a ballistic report, the correct one was not present. We are fearing for our lives all the time, you cannot afford to be without protection. It is not one random person that attacks, it is an organised group of people and it happens every single night.”
Jenny Theron says not one case has been solved regarding the 12 criminal activities that have taken place at her pub this year. She adds that police members need to work with the community in ensuring protection to their residents and businesses.
Efforts to contact the Muldersdrift police service have been unsuccessful.
