Domestics concerned by ongoing abuse in Strubens Valley
Miriam Seleke said the issue is caused by unsupervised unemployed men who drink alcohol in public, and then interfere with the pedestrians walking by.
Domestic workers in the suburbs of Little Falls and Strubens Valley are appealing to local security companies and the police to watch their backs after working hours.
The workers, members of Let’s Be Wise, a domestic workers’ forum which was established in the area in an attempt to create a safe environment for them, complained that they continue to face challenges when walking to Hendrik Potgieter Road to catch their taxis, because the bystanders next to a well-known fast-food outlet on Fredenharry Road persist in harassing them.
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The founder of the forum, Miriam Seleke, said the issue is caused by unsupervised unemployed men who drink alcohol in public (which is illegal), and then, when drunk, interfere with the pedestrians walking by.
“It’s the men who buy beer and drink it on Fredenharry Road and loiter next to the vendor that sells sweets. All they do during the day is prevent women from passing peacefully,” Miriam explained.
She pleaded with the authorities to deal with the matter. “We appeal to the police and the local security companies to deal with the matter because the corner of Fredenharry Road has become both a shebeen and a dangerous crime hot spot, where poor women are robbed on their way to Clearwater Mall,” Miriam appealed.
She also urged domestic workers to report the incidents of interference to the police and their employers. “The forum urges every domestic worker who encounters a problem to go to the police and report the matter. We want to be able to go anywhere we want freely, without being robbed or harassed by men who have no respect for women,” she said.
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