Another robbery outside Home Affairs
AN ELDERLY Durban couple were left traumatised after being robbed by three men in another incident outside Home Affairs in Pinetown.
Anne Bolton, 68, and her husband Jack, 70, were at a red traffic light on Old Main Road earlier this month when one of the men reached into their car through a window and threatened them with a knife.
They stole a cellphone and a pair of sunglasses before they “casually sauntered off ”. Police confirmed they were investigating a case of armed robbery. Anne told The Mercury that her husband had sustained cuts on his arm, and required a tetanus injection.
She said they had gone to Home Affairs to register for passports for a trip to France in July.
“We queued outside from 6.45am… and seven hours later, we had still not been served. At about 12.45pm they started turning people away.”
The incident occurred when they were leaving: “One guy reached in and switched the car off by turning the key. He threatened us with a knife. My husband was saying ‘I don’t have anything’, but they tore his shirt pocket and took his phone.”
Police spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Thulani Zwane said just two days after this incident a 65-year-old man was robbed while waiting in line at Home Affairs.
“Following reports of increased criminal activity… police in Pinetown have increased police visibility and deployments in the area.
“Police have deployed officers on motorbikes to patrol the (Pinetown) CBD while others have been deployed undercover,” Zwane said.
Tersia Smith, Home Affairs district manager of operations in eThekwini, said they had not received any formal complaints about crimes outside the branch since a spate of incidents last year. “We are aware of the situation. We have discussed it with the office manager and are in contact with police to see how we can move forward. We have security inside but are not equipped for crime prevention in the street,” she said.
Former eThekwini senior councillor Visvin Reddy, who was stabbed outside the branch in August, said the city should make use of the army to deal with crimes.
“After my incident, there was a whole lot of interest from the SAPS and metro (police), but it fizzled out. As time goes by people stop showing interest. Anti-crime initiatives (only happen when an incident happens.”
The DA councillor for ward 18, Melanie Brauteseth, said she had received complaints from residents about the issue. She said she was trying to set up a public meeting with the DA spokesman on Home Affairs, Haniff Hoosen.
Smith advised the public to avoid Home Affairs at peak times, December-February and June-July, when they generally struggled to meet demand.