The FF Plus today requested the Gauteng Police Commissioner, Lt Gen. Elis Mawela, to urgently provide the Carletonville police station with more manpower and patrol vehicles to help fight crime.
The request follows the death of Mr Jaco Blaauw (45) of Extension 5, Carletonville, who was attacked by six armed men and robbed of his quad bike.
Blaauw, a businessman in town, was shot in the back and died at the scene.
He was busy celebrating one of his children’s birthdays with his family when he heard a noise outside and went to investigate.
Since January this year, 12 people have been murdered in Extension 5. There were also 20 burglaries, 8 of which occurred in the same street, and 7 rapes reported to the police.
The FF Plus’s councillor in the Merafong Local Municipality, Ben van der Berg, obtained permission from the Municipality in June this year to remove a thicket of alien trees on the border of Extension 5. The thicket is inhabited by illegal miners (zama-zamas).
Van der Berg started to remove the trees, but had to stop after a resident complained about the habitat of owls which live in the trees being destroyed.
The FF Plus will also meet with the station commander this week to determine what unique challenges they face in trying to effectively police the area.
The FF Plus has received numerous phone calls from Carletonville residents insisting that there should be more visible policing in Extension 5.
The police should ensure the safety of residents and decisive action should be taken against criminals.
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