Disturbing statistics: Senior State Advocate paints grim picture
Murders rife in Roodepoort.
After the the Record recently obtained shocking statistics that beg the question of just how safe Roodepoort is, we asked Senior State Advocate and founder of the Kruin View Voluntary Association (KVVA), Deon van Wyk, to weigh in.
“The statistics in respect of murder cases and particular those which were committed prior to, during and after the perpetration of robberies with aggravating circumstances, not only render some perspective on the trends of violent crimes in Roodepoort, they also accord with the trends in the broader jurisdictional area of the Gauteng Local Division of the High Court. This fact finds proof in the judgment of Judge Pietersen on 29 June, prior to imposing sentence in the matter of State vs Thando Notshe in the High Court in Johannesburg. The learned Judge took judicial cognisance of the ‘alarming increase in murders committed during robberies especially where elderly people have been the victims. There is also a high increase in senseless violence when these crimes are perpetrated’. This validates what we see in Roodepoort as a serious concern,” said Van Wyk.
“The high prevalence of these types of offences acknowledged by the High Court, which includes the high rate of murder linked with robberies in the Roodepoort Magistrates’ Court, only reflects the percentage of cases where suspects were arrested. It does not include all the other murders which remain unsolved. This fact then gives you a sense of the seriousness and concern about these types of violent offences. It attacks the very fundamental right of freedom and compels intervention on an urgent basis. Our country has become a violent country, [according to] these facts,” said Van Wyk.
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He added that over and above the murders on court rolls and unsolved murders there is also a third disturbing category, namely murders that have never been reported. He reiterated what he said on a previous occasion: “We live in an extremely violent area and it surely is time for the public to wake up and look after themselves. You cannot put this function solely on the shoulders of law enforcement for the simple reason that resources are limited. The police can not successfully prevent crime, catch criminals and have them prosecuted without the cooperation of the public. It has therefore reached the stage where one can no longer say ‘it cannot happen to me’. Crime is not dictated by time or identity. It can happen anytime, to anyone,” he warned.
“We can argue ad infinitum over motives. Every case’s motive differs but there is a golden thread, namely that the respect for life has drastically diminished, to such an extent that it has become an indictment on the morality of our society. Therefore people have to understand the concept of ‘it can happen to anyone at anytime’. And by saying this I am not propagating panic and paranoia.
The crime community is not that big and if civil society works together and stands together the problem can be overcome,” he concluded.
By 28 July, there were 54 murder cases on the Roodepoort Magistrates’ Court roll. Of these, 26 were for arrests made in 2017, and 21 for arrests made in 2016. Three of these cases were opened at Florida Police Station, 18 at Roodepoort Police Station and 15 at Honeydew Police Station. Many of the cases have accompanying charges such as robbery with aggravated circumstances.
Just as disturbing is the fact that there have been 480 cases of armed robbery on this court’s roll since 2014. These included house robbery, business robbery and motor vehicle robbery (hijackings).
The Record is in the process of obtaining comment from various other stakeholders as well, and will feed back to its readers shortly.
Do you perhaps have more information pertaining to this story? Email us at roodepoortrecord@caxton.co.za (remember to include your contact details) or phone us on 011 955 1130.
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