The community of Claymanor is calling on the police to make their community safe again after residents noticed an increase in drug users robbing community members during the early morning hours.
The most recent incident shocked many residents when they discovered a 55-year-old man stabbed to death and left on the roadside on 13 January.
Speaking to the Phoenix Tabloid, Natasha Moodley, a resident, said she is afraid to leave her home and wait for a taxi after the increase in robberies.
“I have to leave home at 6 am for my taxi to go to work, and most of the time it’s very quiet as no one is outside their houses,” she said. “This makes it extremely dangerous because these criminals use that to their advantage. Because no one is paying attention to the road, they take their chances and try to take whatever they want so they can go use it for drugs.”
Moodley hopes the police will patrol the area or that the community will come together to hire a security company.
“We need to do something, especially after an elderly man was killed,” she added. “We need to take our safety into our own hands and make decisions to assist in the wellbeing of our families and neighbours. We also need to find out who these criminals are and put a stop to it, as they are taking advantage of the community because we are not standing our ground.”
Communications officer at Phoenix SAPS, Nadia Ebrahim, said the matter is currently under investigation by detectives at the Phoenix SAPS. “The suspect in this matter was arrested and appeared in court on 17 January,” she said.
KZNVIP Spokesperson, Gareth Naidoo, said they pass their heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family during this time. “KZN VIP medics attended to the scene and sadly found a 55-year-old male laying with stab wounds on the roadway,” he said. “The victim was unresponsive and showed no signs of life and was declared deceased by KZNVIP Medics. It’s believed that the victim was on his way to his pick-up point for work when he was accosted by two African male suspects. The suspects repeatedly stabbed the victim before fleeing with an undisclosed amount of valuables.”
