Armed Robbery on the Rise in Katlehong

by Cllr Xolile Chamane — DA PR Councillor in Ekurhuleni

Date: 30 June 2023

Release: Immediate

The Democratic Alliance in the City of Ekurhuleni has come out strongly against the increased spike in armed home invasions and robberies in Katlehong North’s Maphanga and Nhlapho neighbourhoods.

Criminals primarily target residents, especially women-headed households. There have been at least nine attempts in two weeks, and locals now fear they may be next.

On Wednesday, three armed men held two families, including children and a pregnant woman, at gunpoint, demanding their household items. They later plundered most of the said items, including cellphones, radios, and other valuable resources, leaving both families in absolute distress and trauma.

This brazen robbery syndicate is directly linked to load shedding with reports from local community leaders indicating that the robberies occur around seven in the evening each day, an hour after the area has been placed on the shedding schedule and target specific households and communities. It lasts for fifteen minutes, indicating the level of sophisticated precision with which it is carried out.

According to local crime reports, there has been an increase in burglaries at residential premises and household armed robberies in recent months across the greater Khatorus region.

Residents continue to live in fear while local police in the area refuse to investigate the matter and blatantly dismiss residents. Unfortunately, the ANC ward councillors continue to be dormant and invisible, providing no clear direction or tangible solutions for residents, leaving many community members frustrated and feeling unsafe.

The DA in Ekurhuleni has written to the MMC for Community Safety: EMPD; and DEMS Cllr Sizakele Masuku calling for an urgent intervention by the MMC and the provision of tactile solutions and guidance on the matter before it becomes irrepressible.

Under the DA government in Ekurhuleni, the former DA Mayor, Ald Tania Campbell had numerous meetings with members of the South African Police Department and EMPD to establish a task team to promote safety in our communities and develop safer cities.

We further call on the Katlehong North police station to exercise the ‘batho pele’ pledge and prioritize the needs and safety of their assigned communities.

Media Enquiries

Cllr Xolile Chamane — DA PR Councillor in Ekurhuleni

081 494 2560