Description

Increase In Armed Attacks, Robberies In Hartbeespoort

Thursday 26 August 2010 By Cynthia Dreyer Madibeng Pulse reported last week on the shooting at members of a Plotwatch patrol last Tuesday night as they prepared to storm a building where thieves were removing the corrugated sheets from a roof, but this was only one of four armed incidents to take place in Hartbeespoort last week. At 03:00 on Wednesday morning, the owner of a house in James Street, Schoemansville was shot in the foot and a laptop stolen. On Thursday morning at 05:00 a house in Karel Street was ransacked after three robbers held up the owners.

Then during the closing minutes of the Community Policing Forum meeting last Thursday evening, a call came through reporting that three suspects had held up people who run a home business in Cannon Crescent Ifafi and made off with computers, cell phones, jewellery and a Bantam bakkie all within ten minutes!

Four Men With Illegal Firearms Arrested At Filling Station
After information received by Hartbeespoort police last Wednesday, four men carrying unlicensed firearms plus ammunition were arrested at a filling station that night at 21:30. A Volkswagen Jetta suspected of being stolen, was also impounded. The four men are in custody and were expected to reappear in court today, according to Captain Aasje Bothma of North Wes Police Communications.

Stepped Up Security In Sector One For Rest Of Weekend
Another Ifafi home was ransacked on Friday night in Longtom Street Ifafi after thieves forced a security door as well as a sliding door open. The whole house was ransacked and a TV, laptop, CD player, clothes, binoculars and even a toothbrush and toothpaste stolen! The value of the stolen goods is estimated to be R80 000. The thieves then tried to break in to the adjoining property but did not manage it according to Mr Romano van der Spuy Chairman of Sector 1. At Mountain Breeze in Schoemansville, thieves forced open a window and stole a laptop worth R13 000 stolen on Sunday night. Romano van der Spuy said that after the incidents before the weekend, he called in all neighbourhood watches, ADT and RRST security companies, members of Shifts and Reservists at Hartbeespoort Police Station plus three police vehicles to patrol the Sector One area to prevent any more robberies taking place.

Fight Over Water – Ten Rooms squatter camp, Rietfontein
In a most unusual incident, a woman was badly assaulted by two others when she took the last water from a water tanker at Ten Rooms informal settlement in Rietfontein on Thursday at 12:15. A case of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm was opened with the police. A case of housebreaking and theft was reported after on Saturday night a camera, two firearms and clothes were stolen in Rietfontein. A suspect was arrested at the Popo Molefe squatter camp but the firearms were not recovered. The Wes Moot Church in Van de Hoff Road was broken into some time on Friday night after a window was smashed. The alarm sounded but thieves were able to get away with a computer, laptop and TV before anybody arrived at the scene. The gate motor worth R3 000 was also damaged by the criminals. A case of malicious damage plus theft has been opened. Thieves also stole electric cables to the value of R2 000 on Saartjiesnek on 15 August.

Pecanwood smallholdings, Broederstroom: two houses broken into.
MadibengPulse regularly reports on thefts from homes within this security estate, and these incidents need to be investigated, according to Roman Van der Spuy. A window was forced open some time on Saturday night and a camera plus video camera stolen. Also in Sector 2, the window of the main house on a plot in Broederstroom was forced open and duvets and curtains stolen while coffee, tea and clothes were stolen from the servants’ quarters.

Asses in the Bush robbery? Police suspect that the Nigerian who claimed he was pulled off the road near the T Junction Farm Stall in Broederstroom on Friday at 17:00 was involved in a boude innie bos ((asses in the bush) according to police vernacular) incident.

This happens when men are lured by women next to the road with promises of a good time, only to be stripped of valuables by these women’s cohorts amongst the bushes and then abandoned next to the road. The man said he had been hijacked by three Black and one Coloured man who took his Opel Corsa, cell phone and R4000 before dropping him off on the Hennops River road, a notorious “pick up” area for prostitutes. A case of hijacking has been opened at Hartbeespoort Police.
Also, staying south of the Dam in Sector 2, a case of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm was laid against a worker at the Sundance Bar. He assaulted a colleague who had taken his cell phone from the counter where it had been left, but who had then returned it. This happened during the early hours of Friday morning.
Yet another serious assault was reported in Broederstroom when a man demanded his victim’s jacket. The victim was assaulted when he refused, but the suspect has been arrested.
Lakeland Broederstroom: campers Beware!
In a second incident in as many weeks, campers next to Lakeland west of Broederstroom in Skeerpoort (Sector Three) were targeted when their vehicle had the window smashed and money, clothing and credit cards were stolen. In another Skeerpoort incident, a window at Tangaroa Strawberry Farm was forced open and pots and pans stolen. This happened between Friday and Sunday. http://www.madibengpulse.co.za/?Task=system&CategoryID=31003&HeadingText=CrimeAlert+260810+armed+attacks