Plot 80: Security expert paints dark picture
'It's horrific what's been done to the people,' — security expert
The News recently spoke to Jason Mordecai, Operations Manager of SMS Security, about the relocation of the squatters next to Cradlestone Mall to Portion 80 of the Farm Rietfontein (Plot 80) in Muldersdrift.
Mordechai has been living and working in the security industry in the Muldersdrift area for the past 10 years and is a keen observer of crime trends and other social ills in the area.
Like all the other affected parties the News had spoken to, Mordecai could not hide his disgust at the humanitarian crisis that had been created. “On one hand are the residents we need to keep safe and who are now fearful of the situation. On the other hand, we have a community that was uprooted in a way that was designed to fail. It is a forced removal similar to Sophiatown.
“Its history repeating itself in a democratic society. You would have thought they would have put in services first but they did not. And they have been dumped right next to the Video informal settlement community that is hostile to them,” said Mordecai. “Electricity plays a big role in the whole story. The Video community is hostile because in their settlement the shacks were built too close to one another for Eskom to electrify the area. So they needed the space on Plot 80 for their shacks to receive electricity from Eskom. So if you are the average shack dweller in Video, who has no heat and can’t cook you are not going to be very receptive to your new neighbours whom you now see as stealing your future,” he elaborated.
“This is the second time this has happened. The so-called Absa informal settlement just a short distance away also came into being because they were dumped there without services and on top of a wetland, which is an ecological disaster,” said Mordecai.
“Before lockdown we did not really see an increase in crime around the Absa community, as some of the business owners made wise strategic decisions by winning the hearts and minds of the residents and building relationships with them. Then lockdown came and we started seeing certain kinds of crime, which were mostly related to basic needs. For example, people couldn’t work and therefore could not buy paraffin so they started chopping wood on private properties. We also saw a rise in poaching,” explained Mordecai. “However, then violent crime started to happen as well as vandalism and break-ins. I am referring to the Absa community because it can be used as a crystal ball to see what is going to happen at Plot 80,” said Mordecai.
“Once Plot 80 is established, like the Absa settlement, you will not be able to control it and the influx of people. The city might have claimed to have vetted those they brought here but bad apples will enter the community. Property values have fallen and will continue falling. Electricity-related crimes such as theft of transformers and cables will skyrocket even more. We have a massive problem in Muldersdrift as far as transformer theft is concerned. From January to June I counted 27 transformer thefts and if you add the thefts of 2021 it amounts to about 70. Syndicates are involved, and although poor, these communities can raise thousands of rands to have a transformer stolen and installed,” said Mordecai.
“In the past year, the crime profile has changed. There have always been violent crimes in Muldersdrift and in the past year we have noticed an increase in crimes against soft targets – staff rooms, staff quarters, groom quarters, and the like. A gang of three to six guys will hit a target. What do they find? Maybe a TV and a small amount of cash, which means for it to be viable for them they have to hit four to six targets in a row. And because plots are large they have time to get violent,” warned Mordecai.
“In the recent past, we had shootings as well as serious assaults.
“I don’t want to detract from the humanitarian aspect. It’s horrific what’s been done to the people. But If you look at the significant pressure that Rietfontein has been under historically as far as crime is concerned, it is inevitable that with the drop in employment opportunities in the area and the new informal settlement crime and violent crime will increase and it will become harder to sell property,” concluded Mordecai.
