On Wednesday morning at 06:10 Anand Thalikchand was walking to the Centurion Gautrain station, something he does every day, when he was mugged by two men.
He had just walked past the empty property at 262 Gropius Road, when two men came out from the empty lot, and stormed him from behind. They pinned him down and stole his work laptop, his wallet, and his personal cellphone. They did not take his work phone, which is an older Nokia.
Thalikchand says he will rather drive to the station now, even though it is only 500m from his home, as he fears for his safety.
The empty property has had problems with vagrants squatting there in the past, and upon investigation, it seemed there are still vagrants who occasionally live there.
Thalikchand also reported the case to the Lyttelton SAPS.
Warrant Officer Gumbu, spokesperson for the Lyttelton SAPS said they will investigate the scene of the mugging, but are yet to do so.
The empty property in Gropius Road is owned by the Gautrain Management Agency (GMA), who bought the land to convert it into more parking for the Centurion station.
Tlago Ramalepa, spokesperson for the GMA has stated: “The necessary environmental impact studies have been completed and a verbal approval from the Tshwane metro has also been granted. Once the written approval has been submitted from the metro, construction will begin.”
Remalepa also stated: “The process of having a 24-hour security presence on site is in its final stages.”
Although 24-hour security would keep vagrants from squatting there, until it is implemented, they will continue to be a problem for residents.
This is not the first time people have been attacked and mugged close to the station. Last week people were mugged at the Gerhard Street bridge, including one man who was stabbed in the head.
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