House robbery and break-in markings are making the rounds in the west again, and with some houses already targeted, police and the CPF are warning residents to be on the lookout. In recent weeks, several homeowners found suspicious-looking objects in front and around their properties. Pretoria West Sector 1 deputy chairperson, Suzette Goosen, and her husband Koos recently discovered a suspicious brick on top of their electricity box. “We saw a brick on top of our power box just as we were about to leave for work. If I think about it now, there have been other occasions where there were boxes that we didn’t know the purpose of in our driveway as well.” Suzette added that the brick worried them, as they did not know when and if the criminals would strike.
Many residents do not take notice of the signs placed in front of their yard, as they think it is just rubbish lying around. Yolandi Pieterse, who used to live in Wespark’s property, was also a target a few months ago when she got back from work and found a tree branch and a red piece of cardboard in front of her gate. “I saw these strange items in my driveway when I got back from work. I stopped, looked around and was very scared. I sat in my car and wondered if I should get out or just leave.”
Pieterse said that she remembered receiving documents from the Sector 1 Policing Forum that warned residents of certain signs or objects left around houses to indicate that the property had been marked by criminals. She decided to drive around the block to check for anything or anyone suspicious. When she got back, she opened the gate to drive in and saw a man approaching her asking for money. She replied that she did not have any on her, but felt uncomfortable and suspicious. “The man left, so I quickly got into my car, drove into my yard and closed the gate. I then removed the tree branch and piece of cardboard, went into the house to get some clothes and left.”
After what happened, Pieterse is constantly scared. “My husband opens the gate for me every morning and afternoon, I never enter my yard on my own.” Members of the Community Policing Forum in Hercules and Pretoria West Sector 1 have been distributing a list of the markings that residents can look out for, urging residents to familiarise themselves them and learn the meaning behind the different markings and colours.
Residents should look out for the following: • a Z painted on a stop sign or on the road means that all the houses in the street are marked • piles of small stones are an indication of dogs and two big stones together means there are old people living in the house • red objects mean resistance, for example, two red tins means that the owner of the house is armed • white objects mean the house is an easy target • green objects are used as direction markers • blue objects mean the house is an easy target and there will be help from inside.
“Residents must be aware of anything that is suspicious outside their homes, on their fences, markings on perimeter walls or anything that is strange or suspicious and out of the ordinary,” Hercules CPF Sector 2 chairperson, Conrad Naudé, said. He added that residents could contact the police or their CPF for more information regarding the crime trends in the area.
Hercules police spokesperson, Captain Bonginkosi Msimango, confirmed that the police were aware of the markings used by criminals to attack, but no cases of robberies in the area using the markings had been reported. “It helps if residents know their community leaders, patrollers and neighbours. Our response time to incidents will be quicker.”
Here follows a list of markings that you need to look out for:
| Signs | Tekens |
| Z painted on stopsign or on road –houses in street targeted for burglary. | As daar ’n Z op stopteken of op pad geverf is, is daar ’n paar huise in die straat wat geroof word |
| Pile of little stones – warns of dogs | As daar ’n klomp klein klippies opmekaar gestapel word – daar is honde |
| Two big stones together – two old people | As daar twee groot klippe langs mekaar is – 2 ou mense |
| Stones placed in a row – indicates how many people in the house | Daar word ook klippe langsmekaar in ’n ry gesit om aan te dui hoeveel mense in die huis bly. |
| Swazika painted on road – houses in street targeted for burglary.
Direction of the swazika indicates which house is the target. |
“Swatsika” teken op pad geverf of op stoptekens – ook ’n paar huise in straat. – – Die rigting waarin die “swatsika” wys is die huis wat geroof word. |
| Colours | Kleure: |
| Red: coke tin, red cloth, crisp packet etc – can expect resistance.
2 coke tins indicates that owner is armed. |
Rooi– coke blikke, rooi lap ens – dui daarop dat weerstand verwag kan word – gewoonlik persone met vuurwapens. Mense wat in die nag skiet, weet jy het ’n wapen. Gewoonlik 2 coke blikkies
|
| Coke tin, opening towards the house – someone is home. | coke blik oopkant na huis – gemerk –iemand tuis |
| Upright coke tin – nobody home | coke blik regop staan – niemand in huis |
| White: sorghum carton, plastic bag
Easy target |
Wit – maklike teiken, sorghum boksie, wit plastieksak |
| Sorghum carton facing towards house – target marked | sorghum boksie na huis toe wys – gemerk |
| White plastic bag in fence – easy target | wit plastieksak in heining of draad – gemerk maklike teiken |
| Green: direction marker | Groen – rigting aanduiders |
| The direction that the bottle is pointing indicates the direction they should proceed. | Die rigting waarheen die groen bottel ens. wys, wys die rigting aan waarheen hulle moet beweeg. |
| Blue and/or blue and white: Clicks packets, etc
Easy target and someone inside will help. |
Blou– iemand in die huis is bereid om saam te werk bv ’n clicks sakkie – blou en wit – maklike teiken en iemand wat saam werk |
| Black – stock theft | Swart– veediefstal |
| Poisoning: If a dog dies suddenly or vomits, check for black specks in the vomit or white powder near the dog.
Please report all dog poisonings to the SAPS who MUST give you a case number. |
As hond skielik dood is of braak en daar is swart kolletjies in die braaksel, of wit poeier naby hond is of in braaksel – kontak die polisie dadelik en hulle sal die braaksel en hond verwyder – moet nie daaraan vat nie dit is baie gevaarlik |
| Listen to your barking dog. | As honde blaf in die nag luister na die tipe blaf |
| Kiewiets (and geese) are excellent watch dogs. They sound the alarm when a human encrouches on their territory. Become aware of their various calls. | Kiewiete op die plotte maak ’n spesifieke geluid as hulle ’n uil sien en ’n ander geluid as hulle ’n mens sien |
| Simba (or Lays) chips packets – normally neatly folded, but sometimes weighed down by something inside the packet | Simba chips pakkies – gewoonlik ’n pakkie wat netjies gevou is, of ’n duidelik gesiggie gesien kan word. |
| Crisp packet – facing the house
Owner at home |
Chips pakkies as gesiggie na jou huis wys – baas by die huis |
| Crisp packet – facing the road
No-one home |
Chips pakkies as gesiggie weg van jou huis af wees – baas nie by die huis. |
| Shoes and shoesoles near or by the gate
No-one home and direction of the shoes indicates the escape route |
Skoene of skoensole by die hek – gewoonlik aanduiding dat daar niemand bly. As ingebreek word word die roete aangedui deur skoene of skoensole – roete om te hardloop. |
| Wrong numbers on your house or cell phone – checking if you are home | Bel jou huis of selfoon om te hoor of jy by die huis is |
| Electricity off at the main box
When you go out at check, the house is open and the people inside are soft targets. |
Skakel krag af by boks – as jy uitgaan om te gaan kyk is die huis oop en die jy en die mense binne ook ’n sagte teiken. |
| Strange items in front of your house, i.e. cardboard box, bricks, neighbour’s tree branch
Do not stop to remove and you will be a soft target. Phone the police or your security company to assist you. |
Vreemde voorwerpe – as jy by die huis kom en daar staan skielik ’n asblik, kartonboks, baksteen of buurman se boomtak – ry verby, want as jy uitklim om dit te verwyder is jy sagte teiken. Skakel die polisie. |
| Brick – normally indicates a car to be stolen | ’n Baksteen is gewoonlik om ‘n kar te steel |
| 2 or 3 bricks (normally new bricks) – house robbery | 2 of 3 bakstene (gewoonlik nuwes) wys op huis rowe |
| Action | Wat maak jy |
| Immediately remove and dispose of all markers | Vat die tekens onmiddelik weg en gooi sulke goed in die asblik. |
| Daar was al gevalle waar 3 keer die tekens weggevat is – dan is die outjie in die moeilikheid wat dit moes plant | |
| Paint over painted signs. | Probeer ook om die geverfde tekens te verwyder deur oor dit te verf
Barend Smit – het hom die tekens gewys en almal in die omgewing is geroep om daarna te kyk. Toe hy later in die karpad afry toe is daar ’n tak in die pad- die merker het in die boom gesit toe almal daar was. Niemand het opgekyk |
| Mense in komplekse en woonstelle is nie so veilig nie – ’n persoon maak of hy vir iemand in die kompleks kom kuier en teken die boek in en daar is iemand in die kattebak, laai die persoon af en na die tyd word die persoon weer opgelaai en ry uit. | |
| Keep your pavement neat and tidy. Remove all possible markers and dispose of in the rubbish bin. | Hou sypaadjies netjies en gras kort. Ook op die plotte en plase sodat niks daarin gegooi kan word wat jou as ’n teiken kan identifiseer nie. |
| Be aware at all times. | Wees paraat en kyk om jou na enige tekens |
