Community fed up with crime

THE JAN Kempdorp community handed over a memorandum to the Department of Justice and the National Prosecuting Authority this week in objection to high crime rates and slow conviction rates.

Community member Lebogang Banyatsi said that while Jan Kempdorp was a small town, violent crimes were reported on a daily basis.

“Last year an eight-year-old girl was raped and the case is still ongoing. A 28-year-old woman was brutally killed in May 2022 in Masakeng township, where up until today no arrest has been made. A three-year-old boy went missing for almost a week and his body was found in the veld last year,” said Banyatsi.

“More than 50 cases of housebreaking were reported since June 2022, and the complainants are still waiting for case numbers. The majority of stolen goods such as cellphones, laptops and plasma televisions are never retrieved.”

He added that the community was aggrieved that criminals were granted free bail even if they had previous convictions.

“Criminals are coming into our homes to steal, some are armed with weapons to threaten to kill us and our children, yet when we fight back for what belongs to us then we are arrested.”

Banyatsi indicated that a homeowner was recently charged with attempted murder after criminals made a forced entry by breaking a window and stole his laptop and cellphone.

“It appears as if the justice system is there to defend criminals more than protect innocent citizens.”

He said the community had given the Department of Justice until next week to respond to their grievances.