Farmers and residents in the Kameeldrift and Cullinan areas reckon they’ve done enough to fight and prevent crime. It’s now government’s turn to do its constitutional duty, said TAU SA. he union organised a procession to the police offices of Kameeldrift and Cullinan on 7 November. A petition was presented to the Gauteng MEC for safety and security and the provincial commissioner of the SA Police Service (SAPS). “We don’t really expect anything to come of it, but we do hope it will draw attention to what’s happening,” Henk van de Graaf, TAU assistant general manager for communications said. “We also want to draw the community’s attention to the problem and make them take safety precautions.”
The petition follows months of murders and violent attacks in the area. Between April and October, 58 armed house robberies were reported and four people were killed. Said Gerrit Klopper, chairperson of the area protection initiative, “In October alone there were six armed robberies, seven break-ins, two murders, one rape and one serious assault. It can’t go on like this.” “The police said we as a community should get involved. In the last year we spent R500 000 on vehicles, 356 signs to improve visibility and 168 neighbourhood watch radios in Kameeldrift alone. We are involved, so what exactly are the Kameeldrift police doing to protect us?” he Leeuwfontein area protection initiative also recently sent a letter to the safety and security ministry calling for help.
“We’ve tried everything in our power to help the police, but it’s been for nothing because it’s clear there’s no will from the policing leadership in our area,” said Deon Grobler, Leeuwfontein chairperson. S uperintendent Edwin Lelaka, commander of the Kameeldrift police station, said the police are doing their best with limited resources and asked residents to contact him personally if they have complaints about bad service from police officers. Van de Graaf, who lives on a smallholding in the Cullinan area, said he’s been fortunate that in the 14 years he’s been living in the area, he hasn’t become a victim of crime.
“I don’t have big gates, electrical fences or spotlights,” he said. “But we do everything on the farm ourselves – there are no labourers.” He said it’s often reported after a break-in or robbery that farmworkers were intimidated into providing criminals with information about the victims’ whereabouts. “No outside people know what goes on at my farm.” – Drieka Burger
