Muldersdrift residents are pleading with local police to look into the mysterious spike in armed robberies in the area.
The residents who came forward with this crisis said they now have to sleep with one eye open. The incidents have also led residents to dub the area ‘murdersdrift’ due to the ongoing armed murder cases.
The latest victims of an attempted murder in the area, a couple, who wish to remain anonymous for safety reasons, said they were lucky to be alive after a gang brazenly fired three shots through their window.
The husband, in an interview with Roodepoort Northsider, said he is living in fear and is even thinking of relocating because the incident was a repeat of a similar incident in which he tragically lost his eye.
“Fifteen years ago I lost my eye after I was shot during an armed robbery. This again is traumatising because we can’t get sleep at night. Muldersdrift police are not protecting us. Cases take very long to be resolved,” the concerned husband said.
He added that some neighbours who’ve fallen in the same trap, have bought guns to protect their families.
An active armed response company in the area, Drift Reaction confirmed the outrageous attacks.
Jarques Treptow, the CEO of Drift Reaction, said Muldersdrift, where they are based, has been overwhelmed with serious crime for the past three months. “The armed robberies have been going on for the three months and have been escalating. We attend to about two cases a week related to attempted murder and armed robbery,” he said.
Treptow added that the hike seems to be popular in Zwartfontein, Driefontein, Rietfontein and Kromdraai. He emphasised that the attacks are not targeted at a specific group. “The attacks are not directed at businesses and farmers only but the suspects also target informal settlement dwellers. When they make it into the house, they attack the owner and take anything from jewellery, electronics, bicycles and cash,” Treptow explained.
The modus operandi is similar and perpetrators are said to be moving in a group of three to seven men, in a non-systematic manner, according to Treptow, who has been privately probing the matter.
Muldersdrift police spokesperson, Warrant Officer Masedi Masedi assured residents that all reported robbery cases and others were being investigated. “There have been a few reported cases in the past two months,” he confessed.
“We have experienced and vigilant detectives probing these cases. There is no docket in the station that has not been investigated.”
He added that the station has implemented other strategies to combat crime in the area. “We are currently recruiting reservists, on a voluntary basis, to join our station in a bid to beef up policing activities. We also conduct weekly awareness meetings guided by criminal activities in the area.”
