'Communities must draw the line and take a stand'

Lentegeur residents are concerned about their safety and that of their families after shootings have increased in the area this month.

While Lentegeur police station commander, Colonel Herman Seals, refused to divulge statistics of murders in the area during his first month at the station, he said two men and a woman were arrested on charges of murder.

More than 100 mense gathered at Lentegeur Civic Centre to meet Lentegeur police station management at an “imbizo” on Wednesday February 22.

Sergeant Darryl Booysen, Sectors 2 and 3 commander, covering Montrose Park, Lentegeur East and West, said the aim of the meeting was for him to introduce himself to the community.

Sergeant Booysen said he would report to newly appointed Lentegeur police station commander, Colonel Herman Seals, and discuss the need to meet with the community.

“I understand you (the community) came here tonight with burdens, but it is going to take time, we need to get to know one another and we need to work together,” he said.

“I am here to work with the community who wants to work with us,” he said.

Resident Raafiqah Ganger, also a member of the Lentegeur West Zone Sector 3 Neighbourhood Watch, said the community was told by the gangsters “ hulle gaan bloed op tel”, that people are going to die.

“We need to rid our community of crime,” she said.

Raafiqah called on her neighbours and fellow residents to stand up. “If we don’t stand up, we are going to lose our children, husbands and wives,” she said.

“We need to take it further. This is our community. We must say enough is enough. No more,” said Raafiqah.

A father, from Blombos Street in Lentegeur, said he was concerned about his son’s safety and young people being involved or exposed to gangsterism and drugs.

A mother cried out for help, saying her son was too scared to go to school and that he knew his future depended on education.

Sergeant Booysen encouraged residents to have good relations with their neighbours.”You and your neighbour who is perhaps hiding their children’s misbehaviour or their being in trouble with the law, could gain strength from each other and (together)speak out against crime,” he said.

Sergeant Booysen added: “We should not support our children’s bad habits. Keep your child away from the merchant — he uses your children, they get addicted to drugs and they sell his drugs.”

He called on the community to draw a line in the sand and take a stand.

Colonel Seals, who took up his new post at the police station on Wednesday, February 1, added that the meeting was to introduce the sector commander as they had reduced the number of sector managers from five to three - a directive had came from SAPS provincial office to the clusters to reduce the number of sector commanders at stations.

“Lots of people have been calling me and tried to speak to me about certain issues but I need to direct them to existing structures, through which challenges can be channelled,” he said.

“Once people speak in the structures about their problems to their sector managers, then we’ll have positive results,” he said.

Colonel Seals said mense should report to the police station when their lives are in danger. He said the community should not wait for meetings but report crime and suspicious behaviour to their sector managers.