A string of muggings have plagued the Lyttelton area the past month. The attacks are most prevalent in Von Willigh Avenue.
On Tuesday 21 October a man was robbed on the corner of Hall Street and Von Willigh Avenue at 07:00. The man was walking down Von Willigh Avenue when two robbers attacked him.
According to Gerda Jacobs, an eye witness, the two attackers chased after the victim. “I was driving down Von Willigh towards the Gautrain station, when a man ran across the road, with two other men in pursuit. They chased him across the road, where he fell. The man was lying on the ground and motioned to oncoming cars, including myself to drive away. It looked to me as if they had a gun pointed at him. The men then went through his pockets, before running away into the bushes towards the informal settlement under the Gautrain bridge. They disappeared into the bushes, and I lost sight of them. Luckily other people got out of their cars and were able to help the man.”
The informal settlement on the corner of Von Willigh Avenue and Hall Street has been a problem for years. Councillor Clive Napier of the Democratic Alliance (DA) has said that he has been trying for years to have the squatters removed. “Ever since I was elected in 2006 I have been actively trying to have those people relocated. They cannot stay there. It has become a haven for criminals. It is an unacceptable situation.”
Napier added that “More people needed to be involved in community safety. The Lyttelton community policing forum (CPF) does really good work, but they need more people to join and help in the safekeeping of communities.”
Chris Evans, head of the Lyttelton Sector 7 CPF reiterated that participation by the community is key. “The more people join the CPF, the more success we’ll have. Our members are the eyes and ears of the CPF.”
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Also read: Gropius Avenue a crime hotspot
Be aware of Centurion hot spots
Robberies at Gerhard Street bridge
Lyttelton tunnel a dirty danger zone
