BUSINESSES situated along Magwaza Maphalala (Gale) Street were hopeful that the festive season would finally be a busy one for them after after roadworks, which took nearly 14 months were finally completed last month, would draw customers back to their businesses, but a crime wave has once again put a damper on trade.
According to Kay Rai, who has traded on the once booming street for more than 30 years, a newspaper delivery man called him in the early hours of Monday morning to say that his shop was open. “This is too much, I rushed to the shop at six in the morning and found that they cut through the bolted lock and stole our office fridge, as well as lawn mowers and microwaves that we were waiting for customers to pick up.”
The veteran businessman said he had been hit badly by a crime wave in the last month or two. “I was hit nearly a dozen times. In one week I was hit six times. The new method now is they come in through the roof top and to the back area of my shop. Every metal part has been taken, big washing machine drums, metal suspension units, motors (100 units), machine bodies. They even took the roofing material that covered the back area for 30 years and the refuse bin. For them to do all of this is really time consuming, even this time to take a large fridge and other medium sized items would be hard and yet they still get away!” he said in exasperation.
Rai said he had made numerous calls to both Umbilo SAPS and the 10111 number to report suspicious men who walking around the area with bolt cutters and a saw at night, information he received from local guards. “I told them but they did nothing. They treat us as a nuisance now. I have contacted Umbilo SAPS station commander, and even wrote him a letter about these incidents that might be reduced with more patrols but I am always met with empty promises,” he said.
Brian Vickery a neighbouring businessman from Cable Systems told Berea Mail, “It is time that the police did something, we know that it happens during the early part of the morning just about every other day. I now have CCTV, an alarm system and people stay on the property just to keep the place secure and I have given up my shop downstairs.”
Rai meanwhile believes the whole street is under siege and break-ins have become the norm, with robbers breaking in and taking the green rubbish bins and other equipment like his neighbour's industrial trolleys with ladders to get away with goods. “The road is finally open for customers to park and we were very motivated about a busy festive season, but this is now putting strain on business as we absorb more loss,” he added.
Umbilo police were unable to comment at the time of going to press.
