Fed-up business owners in the Tongaat CBD closed their doors on Tuesday, 19 September, and marched to the Sizakala Centre offices to highlight what they are calling “police failures”.
The business owners said the police have failed to protect the residents and businesses in the Tongaat CBD, which is overrun with crime. The concerned shop owners met with the leadership of Tongaat SAPS and Metro Police at the Sizakala Centre offices, to air their concerns.
This comes after a jewellery store was robbed in the CBD on Monday, 18 September. According to the police, seven suspects held up the victim and demanded cash. Jewellery worth over R150 000 was also stolen.
Tongaat SAPS Spokesperson, Warrant Officer Manisha Maharaj-Marie said: “The victim told the police that she was behind the counter when about seven armed suspects entered into the shop and demanded cash. The suspects were armed with hammers which they later used to break the glass cabinets. The suspects also took the hard drive with the video recording. The suspects fled in three different vehicles. While fleeing the scene, they fired shots randomly in the air and no persons were reported as being injured from the incident. The police found eight high-caliber used cartridges on Gopalall Hurbans Road in the Tongaat CBD.”
Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA) in a statement said: “A RUSA member who was in the vicinity of the callout responded within minutes. As he approached the store, a volley of shots were fired at his vehicle from high-caliber weapons. The robbers sped off towards Watson Highway in a silver Toyota Corolla, a silver IX35 and a black VW Polo. It was established that the suspects held up business premises and stole a large quantity of jewellery. They were in the process of fleeing the scene when the initial RUSA vehicle responded to the call. A response vehicle was shot, however, the officer did not sustain any injuries.”
A business owner, Reuben Govender said shop owners demanded answers from the Tongaat SAPS.
“Shop owners decided to shutdown their businesses in the CBD because we are getting robbed almost on a daily basis. We want to know the police’s plan of action as crime is getting out of control in Tongaat. I am a victim myself, recently armed suspects robbed my shop. Shoppers are afraid to shop in Tongaat stores because they do not feel safe anymore. We want the police to intensify their visibility in the CBD. In our meeting with the SAPS and Metro, it was agreed that the police will intensify their visibility in the CBD,” he said.
His sentimentS were shared by Ward 61 Councillor Dolly Munien, who also called on the police to increase foot patrols in the CBD and surrounding areas. “We need police visibility in the CBD. The police and Metro must come out to patrol the CBD,” Cllr Munein said.
WO Maharaj-Marie said the police will increase patrols in the CBD. “We understand their concerns, however, we have a few challenges in terms of the resources at the station. It’s not true that the police have failed to respond to business robberies in the CBD. Our police officers are working around the clock to arrest the suspects,” added WO Maharaj-Marie.
