Diepsloot’s streets have been a no-go area after sunset due to the high crime rate. This is according to residents who said they hope the intervention by police will reduce crime in the area.
Maria Khoza has been living in Diepsloot for the past 16 years and said crime is out of control. In recent weeks, she said gangs have been terrorising residents and attacking them in their homes.
“We were at the level of feeling hopeless. Your home is supposed to be a safe space, but that was no longer the case because they come into our homes. In recent years we have always tried to make sure we are indoors after sunset, but what do you do when they come into your home?”
Khoza said on the first Saturday in April, a gang stormed shacks a few metres from her home and robbed people.
“They took cellphones and cash. We heard gunshots. On Sunday morning we woke up to the news that they killed one man who refused to give up his cellphone. The man was from Lesotho. We don’t have much information about him,” she said.
Neighbours who witnessed the incident and were also robbed of their belongings refused to speak about what happened, citing they feared the gang might come back for them.
“We are not sure if they have been arrested. If we speak they can come back for us. They are ruthless,” one neighbour said.
A member of the local community policing forum (CPF), Kutlwano Moalusi, said: “Robberies are very common, especially on weekends.
“A worrying trend we are witnessing is that these criminals are getting more brutal and kill victims after robbing them,” he said.
Police spokesperson Col Athlenda Mathe confirmed police in Diepsloot are investigating five cases of murder reported between March 30 and April 3.
“These murders emanated from separate and unrelated incidents and investigations are underway to arrest the suspects,” Mathe said.
According to crime stats, from 2016 Diepsloot police station has consistently appeared among the top 30 police stations with a high rate of assault with intent to cause bodily harm cases, robbery at residential premises and illegal possession of firearms and ammunition.
Poor lighting and bad roads hamper policing
Moalusi said crime-fighting resources were also a problem .
“When a crime is in progress, police are usually unable to get to the scene because there is no vehicle at the station. The issue of vehicles also means they can’t patrols the area,”" he said.
Moalusi said the lack of proper service delivery exacerbated the crime situation.
“Street lights in extension 1 are not working. That entire area is very dark and criminals take advantage of this.
“Bad road conditions mean police can’t easily patrol. Some streets are not accessible by car”" he said.
Roads in the area are visibly in a bad condition.
Extension 1 is the area where the alleged murder of a man from Lesotho took place. Zimbabwean national, Elvis Nyathi was killed in the same area last week.
“Extension 1 is a playing field for criminals,” Moalusi said.
Last week police minister Bheki Cele promised government would add resources to strengthen crime-fighting in the area. He said more police officers would be deployed, and the station will receive new vehicles.
“So far we are happy that minister Cele has delivered on everything he promised us. We saw new vans delivered at the station on Thursday and we are seeing police from different units patrolling our streets,” said resident Martha Kgwadi.
Resident Simon Molepo said it was sad that people had to block roads and resort to violence to get government’s attention.
“Why must we go to such great lengths to get the basics from government. They know crime in this area is out of hand but never did anything about it until we stood up ourselves and fought.
“I have mixed feelings about seeing police on our streets now. It simply shows they can work when they want.”
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