LATEST UPDATE – TUESDAY, 19 NOVEMBER:
Community Crime Prevention Organisation (CCPO) wants answers why it took more than 40 minutes for the police hotline 10111 to relay a complaint to Toti SAP after Edda Jumaima Botha was murdered in her Ilanda Road home in the early hours of Saturday morning, 16 November.
The first call to radio control was logged by the Blue Security control room at 2.06am to inform of a positive house break-in. Radio control refused to take down the complaint due to insufficient information, including the name of the victim. The control room was placed on hold while the officer tried to gather more information. The call was then terminated by radio control while the officer was on hold.
A second call from Blue Security was logged at 2.11am. After the officer supplied additional information, the complaint was taken down.
At 2.14am CCPO committee member, Rob Mill contacted radio control as Toti SAP had not responded and the suspects were still in the vicinity.
At 2.27am the Blue Security control room officer contacted radio control a third time to upgrade the complaint to a stabbing incident and requested the SAP respond as soon as possible.
Rob phoned CCPO operations manager, Leon Joone at 2.39am. “I contacted the Toti charge office and they had no record of the complaint at that time,” said Leon.
At about 2.47am Rob contacted radio control a second time, as Toti SAP had still not responded. He flagged down a passing SAP patrol vehicle and the officers informed him they had not received a complaint. While talking to the officers, Rob heard the complaint transmitted over the SAP radio, about 41 minutes after the initial call was logged to radio control.
“Why was there such a delay from the initial call to Toti SAP being relayed the complaint?,” asked Leon. “The passing SAP patrol vehicle had to be flagged down. They didn’t receive the complaint. The dog unit was in Isipingo, right on the scene. The suspects could have possibly been arrested had radio control relayed the complaint to Toti SAP in good time. We want answers.”
The CCPO and Blue Security sent printed and recorded copies of the calls logged from the control room to police spokesman, Colonel Jay Naicker of the KZN police media centre and await a response.
UPDATED – MONDAY, 18 NOVEMBER:
One of the first people on the scene of the brutal killing of Twini grandmother Edda Jumaima Botha (75) believes the men responsible could have been caught had the police hotline on 10111 relayed the complaint to Toti SAP in good time. Community Crime Prevention Organisation (CCPO) committee member, Rob Mill said the two men were still in the vicinity, but the complaint was only relayed to Toti SAP about 45 minutes after the initial phone call was made to 10111.
Edda was struck with an axe by one of the men after they had broken into her Ilanda Road home. It is believed her husband Braam, who is partly blind and crippled, went to investigate why their dog was barking. He was knocked down and when Edda walked down their passage way, she was hit with the axe.
“I heard my dog barking at about 1.40am and when I went to investigate, I learnt the men had tried to break into a neighbouring house,” said Rob, who lives in the vicinity. Together with his son he drove around the neighbourhood and met up with Blue Security, Chubb Security and CCPO response members. “We went our separate ways to investigate,” said Rob. They came across the Botha’s neighbour, Murray McGoldrick in the road, calling for help.
According to Rob they couldn’t get into the house, Braam was hysterical and wasn’t making sense. “The Blue Security control room contacted radio control, but the call was disconnected. When they contacted radio control again, they wanted to know the victim’s name before relaying the complaint. I told them to give my details. I then contacted radio control as the police still hadn’t arrived.”
Rob phoned CCPO operations manager, Leon Joone at 2.39am. “I contacted the Toti charge office and they had no record of the complaint at that time,” said Leon. While patrolling the neighbourhood, Rob saw two men, whom he believed where the murderers, but they ran into the bush.
“We returned back to the scene and learnt the woman had died. There was still no response from the police 40 minutes after radio control had been contacted.” A SAP patrol vehicle was flagged down in the suburb and the officers informed Rob they had no record of the complaint. “While I was talking to them, I heard the complaint transmitted over their radio.” The dog unit, which was a few minutes away in Isipingo, responded, but the men’s scent was lost. “Those guys were still in the area,” said Rob. “Had radio control given the complaint immediately, we would have caught them.”
