Community puts foot down against crime
MBOMBELA - In a true show of force and camaraderie, the Steiltes community joined hands with local security companies in a bid to stamp out the rising crime in the suburb.
Steiltes has been plagued by a sharp increase in violent crimes, and on Monday, when a suspicious vehicle thought to be linked to a series of housebreakings and robberies in the area showed up in Melkweg Road, the residents had finally had enough and worked together to corner the car and its three occupants.
After the joint effort to get the men into police custody for further questioning, Nelspruit Police Station’s spokesperson, Constable Bongani Mokoena, confirmed that no cases had been opened against the trio, and that they have since been released.
Of the three men who were arrested, however, one is allegedly a well-known criminal to local security companies. Securicon Lowveld’s Callum mac Pherson previously arrested the man in 2019 for suspected burglary.
According to Lowvelder’s 2019 report, the man was apprehended for the second time that year when the police discovered there was an outstanding warrant for his arrest. The paper reported that a source at the station said the suspect’s father had arrived there and had allegedly tried to intimidate the police and security using his position in government.
Meanwhile, Mokoena said the men were not arrested or charged with any crimes, and that the number of house robberies, hijackings, burglaries and theft out of motor vehicles were still being investigated.
A number of Steiltes residents have recently faced armed robberies and were threatened by unknown men wielding guns and other weapons.
According to information sent by Steiltes residents on community watch WhatsApp groups, recent incidents of crime have occurred in Cosmos Avenue, Aurora Drive and Hunter Street.
It is unclear just how many cases of burglary, robberies, vehicle theft and hijackings have been reported. However, several local security companies have confirmed a massive spike in crime in the suburb lately.
Mac Pherson said there has been a marked increase in violent crime in this area, and added that other areas have also been targeted.
He said he suspects this to be the work of an organised criminal ring with the aim of stealing vehicles and household goods.
Regarding the release of the three men on Monday, Mac Pherson urged Mbombela residents to remain vigilant.
“It was not confirmed that the trio were/ are involved in the criminal activities in the area, but we speculate that they could be. We should also not become complacent once a grouping has been arrested, as crime works on supply and demand.
“Where there is an opportunity to steal or rob, criminals will exploit it. We must take the opportunity away from criminals.”
He said the co-operation between the public and local security is vital to the defence of Mbombela.
“I implore the residents of our town to put pressure on statutory institutions to get involved and assist. The correct way to do this is by getting involved in our
Residents had finally had enough and worked together to corner the suspicious vehicle and its three occupants
local community policing forums (CPFs). Security services cannot be everyone’s eyes and ears. We need your help. This must be done knowledgeably and not by using security groups to voice opinions.”
Divergent Ops’ Tobie du Preez also stated there was an increase in crime, and that when it picked up in one area, it usually decreased in another.
“As soon as a group is arrested in one part of town, we see criminal operations tend to pick up in another part.”
Hi-Tech's Frank Swanepoel said there has certainly been an increase in not only housebreakings, but also theft from motor vehicles.
“Laptops are stolen from vehicles on a regular basis, and we sometimes have to deal with numerous incidents at the same time (in one shift) as the same perpetrators are involved,” he said.
“Recently, housebreakings as well as business break-ins have increased and some of the vehicles responsible for these breakins are known to us. They concentrate on certain areas, and currently Steiltes and
West Acres are their targets.”
Nelspruit CPF’s John Meintjies has also encouraged the members of the public to get involved with the CPF.
“They will constantly be updated on high-priority suspect vehicles, movements and crime patterns. You will have the opportunity to build relationships with all the role players, including SAPS, so it is a bit easier to get backup in the incident of an emergency.”
Meintjies said the CPF meets every first Tuesday of the month at the Protea Hotel in Valencia at 18:00. Contact him on
082 926 5194.
With the community still reeling from multiple robberies and burglaries, Steiltes residents have been on the lookout for suspicious vehicles driving slowly around the area:
Just before 14:00 on Monday, residents began posting on community watch WhatsApp groups that a suspicious vehicle was doing the rounds in Melkweg Road and Aurora Drive.
It was a local, Kobus Pretorius, who decided to hunt the suspected criminals down.
“I was at a meeting with a client of mine in Steiltes when I received a call from a resident about a suspicious vehicle driving around the area slowly. We as a community are sick and tired of all this crime, of having to go to sleep scared with our guns at the ready,” he said.
“As soon as I received the call, I knew I was going to go out there and find that car. I did not care if they had guns and shot at me. I don't want to live in fear anymore, and I wanted to do something to try and help the community.”
Pretorius jumped into his car and sped to Aurora Drive, where he found the suspicious silver VW Polo and gave chase.
“After a few minutes of chasing them, I pushed their car off the road and called security.”
Securicon Lowveld arrived at the scene, followed by Divergent Ops and Hi-Tech Security. Photos of the suspects taken at the scene by residents were circulated on the groups.
Some residents who had their homes broken into, claimed to have been attacked by one of the three suspects.
Meanwhile, a silver Audi with registration plates linked to a house robbery in Steiltes in late August, was spotted on Monday night by AG Solutions’ Callen Herbst and SRRS’s Lappies Labuschange.
The pair gave chase from Sonpark all over town, before the car and its occupants eventually disappeared near KaMagugu. Mokoena confirmed the case number linked to the registration of the car related to a house robbery in Aurora Street, where three armed men stole property to the value of R56 000. “No arrests have been made as of yet. The investigation continues,” he said.