Witbank ideally positioned for 'hit-and-run' crime from Joburg, Pretoria

While residents in the townships of Emalahleni in Mpumalanga blame the soaring house burglary rate on the increasing number of youths who've turned into nyaope addicts‚ those in the suburban‚ alarm-protected‚ high-walled areas blame more tactical criminals who drive fast fancy cars and carry firearms.

The city was in the lead with house burglaries as an average of 6.7 were reported each day.

The most house robberies in the country were also reported at Witbank‚ at 4.4 per day (1‚616). House robberies are defined as being violent break-ins when residents are at home.

Local authorities insist the high crime rate is because of its unfortunate positioning on the map.

“The house robbery suspects are people who usually come in from Gauteng using the N4 from Pretoria and the N12 from Johannesburg. They have easy access into Witbank‚” said Captain Eddie Hall.

“They usually just do a hit-and-run and use one of the many exit routes to leave. It's the same with drugs. Witbank is an entry port and lies 100km from Johannesburg and 100km from Pretoria so drugs come here first before they are distributed to other parts of the country‚” said Hall.

Several weeks ago‚ a container believed to be a hang-out joint for nyaope addicts was torched‚ allegedly by community members in the KwaGuqa township who are fed up with losing their taps and pipes to the addicts. Just days before this‚ three houses along one street were all stripped of their copper.

“Copper taps are just something that they [nyaope addicts] never want to see. It’s become worse now because a scrap yard was opened a short distance from here so these guys know where they can sell their stuff‚” said one resident.

Another‚ Matilda Tlaka‚ said her grandson woke up in the middle of the day to find a nyaope addict trying to dismantle their television set from the wall.

“When he asked him what he was doing‚ the robber simply said ‘times were tough’ and he ran away‚” Tlaka said.

In the suburbs‚ police were seeing more organised criminals.

“One family had a braai with friends when three suspects came in and took everything from the guests. We have just seen that in house robberies [in these areas]‚ groups are always an easy target‚” Hall said.

David Wessels of SA Community Crime Watch said his group had responded to around 150 calls since March for crimes such as house robberies‚ copper theft‚ assaults and several accidents.

Only one of the dozens of cases they have attended to this year has made it to the courts. They are still awaiting a conviction.

“I don’t want to be negative but taking Witbank back… I don’t know how it's going to happen‚” he said.