10 Oct 2017

Residents of Somerset East have decried high crime rate in their ward appealing to authorities to help them deal with criminals.

They expressed their grievances in a kgotla meeting addressed by their Member of Parliament, Mr Wynter Mmolotsi recently.

Ward Development Committee member, Ms Gaobolokwe Nkarabang noted that they lived in fear in their own homes instead of feeling safe and secure.

“We are pleading with the police to help us because we cannot live like this, thieves are roaming the streets, we cannot even move around freely, we are like prisoners in our country,” she added.

Ms Nkarabang suggested that tower lights be installed in their ward to help prevent theft.

She said tower lights had proved to be useful in many places where crime rates used to be high.

Further, she suggested that corporal punishment be administered and the number of strokes increased as it seemed the punishment was not enough a deterrent for the offenders.

She noted that their ward was too dark because their streetlights were not working, which situation gave thieves an opportunity to do as they pleased.

Another resident, Ms Mpho Senthumuleng raised a concern that police officers arrested the culprits only to release them to come and terroriee the community. “We work hard to earn a living, but the thieves compete with us, they take our hard earned money and threaten our lives, this is not how we are supposed to live,” she added.

She further said they were frustrated because of many hideout places in their ward, which made walking at night risky.

For his part, Kutlwano Police Station Inspector Saaka Nsimbi pleaded with residents to refrain from harbouring stealing family members.

She urged them to be responsible and assist with law enforcement  rather than hiding criminals, saying by so doing they made it impossible to apprehend wrongdoers.

Inspector Nsimbi expressed her disappointment on a case where police officers on duty were attacked by residents.

She called on residents to unite and help one another fight crime as they were the ones who knew the culprits. BOPA