The residents living in the country’s murder capital are calling for increased policing to deal with the spike in crime and mushrooming informal settlements.
The “Weekend Argus” is doing a series that looks at suburbs whose police stations featured among the SAPS’s top 30 police stations contributing to the country’s high crime rates.
Mfuleni police station was built a little over a decade ago accommodate an influx of residents. But during Covid-19 the population swelled as new squatter camps like Covid-19, Dubai and Phola Park mushroomed.
The station recorded the highest number of murders, at 89, between October and December, an increase of 32 cases when compared with the same period in 2021.
The area also featured in categories such as attempted murder, rape, sexual offences, and robbery with aggravating circumstances.
Residents said during the day its relatively safe to walk outside, but the trouble starts at night when gunshots ring out.
On Thursday night at about 10.16pm, a 50-year-old security guard was shot and killed in Custody Street, New Beginnings.
Police spokesperson Sergeant Wesley Twigg said: “The victim was found with gunshot wounds to his body and was declared deceased on the scene by medical personnel. The suspects fled the scene and are yet to be arrested. A murder case was registered.”
Community policing forum deputy chairperson France Mashaba said the number of police deployed at the police station is not enough to service the population growth.
“When the station was built, it was for people who lived in the area and at the time it included Wesbank, Brentwood Park and Silversands.
“The hot spots in the Mfuleni precinct are Bardale, Covid-19 is known for mass murders and Wesbank is where gang shootings happen.”
He told the Weekend Argus that two vans serve three sectors, while other cars had broken down.
“The old police station in Mfuleni only serves as a satellite station for people to report cases and the members call (the) bigger station for serious crimes like murder and rape.”
In 202, Mfuleni’s police to population ratio stood at 1:583.
Police under-staffing and overpopulation in Mfuleni has been blamed for the high murder rate.
Covid-19 informal settlement community leader Thembeni Nikani said he was shocked at the murder rate but can’t pin it on his area.
“It is high time that the commissioner and police worked together with the communities to help bring down the numbers.
“It’s important that we have a good working relationship because community members end up not informing the police about incidents.
“Covid-19 is not where the violent crimes are committed. Yes, we have had killings, but here we experience a lot of robberies and most victims are those who leave their home early in the mornings or late at night.
“It is wrong to blame the new informal settlements for crime because the police don’t even come to Covid when we need them. We understand there are no roads, but we want them to come park their cars and walk the rest of the way to us.
“We have another huge problem – we don’t have electricity, and criminals take advantage of that. Crime happens everywhere – even where there are no shacks, people still get killed.”
Businessman Hoosain Makmud runs a barbershop from shipping container. He said the protection they pay keeps them from danger.
“I pay R300 every month so my place is not broken into, so I don’t get hurt and I can send money to my family back at home in Tanzania.
“I started the business three years ago. At the time, it was really quiet and there were no problems. There are gangsters who come and collect the fee from every container in Extension 6.
“I give it freely because I don’t want problems, all I want is to be safe.”
Another entrepreneur feared losing clients because of the high crime.
“The crime here will cost us financially, our customers will choose to go to other townships,” said Nosakhele Mfengu, who sells meat on the roadside.
“Car theft is one of the most common crimes committed here and then murder, and that is the order I thought would be shown by the crime stats.
“But I am not really shocked that we rank number one. There were so many bodies found in Mfuleni and most victims are from 18 to 30 years.”
Weekend Argus