Tsotsis target school children for cellphones
A gang of tsotsis have allegedly targeted school children whom they rob of their cellphones on the corner of Edmond and Hospital Street in Arcadia.
Tshegofatso Ngobeni
School children have become the latest target of tsotsis who rob them of their cellphones on the corner of Edmond and Hospital streets in Arcadia.
A concerned parent, Sime Mlapisane said her son, Jordan (13) was such a crime victim.
“Jordan was walking from school with his three friends when an unknown man asked him for the time. Jordan told the man what time it was only for the man to twist his arm and steal his cellphone,” Mlapisane explained.
She added that Jordan and his friends ran to a flat nearby after the ordeal.
The four were told by the caretaker that similar robberies had been reported to him more than once. According to Mlapisane the caretaker referred the four to their school.
Mlapisane said Jordan was living in fear since the robbery and she wanted to ensure people were aware of the dangers and avoid this happening to their children.
“Jordan was telling me that he is afraid. I am also concerned about him but also about other kids. I don’t want them to experience what my son went through,” she said.
Sunnyside police spokesperson sergeant Asnath Malatsi said police would patrol at the crime hotspot once schools have reopened.
“Since schools are closed for now, we will patrol in the area once they have reopened,” Malatsi said.
Malatsi also urged school children not to talk to strangers and for parents to reconsider allowing their children to carry expensive cellphones to school.
“We are not promoting the issue of children carrying cellphones to school as they become victims of crime especially when they use their earphones. This indicates that they are carrying cellphones.”
Gauteng basic education department spokesperson Oupa Bodibe said in a statement that the department used security measures such deploying patrols in no-fee schools to reduce crime in and around schools.
“To prevent these incidents from taking place, the department has deployed patrols in all no-fee schools and deployed armed and unarmed security guards at identified vulnerable high-risk schools,” Bodibe explained.
He emphasised that the department had finalised an ICT equipment strategy which included acquiring CCTVs which would be installed at various locations of the schools such as the admin block, parking lot and others to monitor crime in schools.
“As part of the school safety strategy the department, the Gauteng department of community and police have linked all Gauteng schools with their respective local police stations through the assignment of a police officer to each school and the additional support of a police sector vehicle allocated to precincts within which each school falls,” Bodibe said.
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