Community happy about Crime Imbizo

The community of Tongaat and surrounding areas had the opportunity to express their grievances about the performance of Tongaat SAPS when the police minister Nathi Mthethwa visted the area this week.

Mthethwa was hosting a Crime Awareness Imbizo in Hambanathi Sports Ground to find out from the community which areas they needed the police to improve on.

“We want to have a good relationship with the community we serve. They are our eyes when we are not there and can help us fight crime even better than what we are doing now,” said Mthethwa.

His entourage consisted of the MEC of community safety, Willies Mchunu, provincial commissioner lieutenant general Mmamonnye Ngobeni, five local station commanders and councillors, Mpume Mabaso and Michael Abraham.

They visted Hambanathi bridge and the dilapidated Mtsheni Community Centre which are cosisdered to be crime hot spots.

Hambanathi North Sector Forum chairperson, Vincent Shandu told the minister that people were getting mugged on the bridge in the mornings and evenings because the area was densely bushed.

“Children from Magwaven who attend schools in Hambanthi have to walk across this bridge every morning. They have been over a dozen muggings already in the past three months and we are afraid about what is going to happen during the dark winter mornings,”said Shandu.

Community members thanked the minister for coming to hear their grieviences and said they hoped he would investigate their complaints.