Crime still big problem in Hatfield, says recently robbed UP student

Crime is still a huge problem in Hatfield around the University of Pretoria (UP) despite round-the-clock patrols, students claim.

This was according to an accounting science student and a biological science student who spoke to Rekord on condition of anonymity.

The two 19-year-olds wanted to remain anonymous after one had their phone snatched from them at an eatery in Hatfield, last Wednesday.

“Criminals target students daily,” they said.

“Almost every day a story is shared amongst students of a crime in the area, where students are held at gunpoint for phones outside their residency gates.”

The biological science student said students felt unsafe walking to campus because they were robbed of their cellphones by armed assailants.

She said crime recently became a reality for her.

“On Wednesday at 19:15, I was taking a study break with friends to go buy an ice cream.”

“We usually go to this eatery because it’s seen to be a safe environment.”

As they were waiting for their order, a man snatched her cellphone and ran out of the establishment.

“I gave chase, but there was a car waiting for him and he got away.”

She said this left her frantic, just before her scheduled test the following day.

“It was not a violent crime; however, I couldn’t study because I was in shock.

“I felt violated as everything is on my phone, from personal information to documents.”

She said the suspect blended in well as he bought food before the crime.

She tried opening a case the next day, but said that Brooklyn police did not take her seriously.

“They accused me of losing my phone and said there wasn’t any theft.”

She said she went to the eatery to obtain CCTV footage.

“Only on Friday was I able to open a case.”

She said the police did not care for their safety.

The accounting science student said the Hatfield city improvement district (CID), in partnership with the Tshwane metro, was not useful.

“They are usually on their bikes or in cars at a circle on Hilda Street; they are ineffective.”

A while ago, a group walking on Duxbury road had to scamper for safety against the wall when the occupants of a passing vehicle opened fire on another vehicle.

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She said both students and the public have complained about the crime in the area.

Angry students accused CID security of failing to patrol the street after student Thapelo Menwe was shot in the abdomen during a robbery as he walked home from a student bar where he had played pool.

The 23-year-old UP internal auditing student was shot outside TuksDorp residence in Hatfield on September 10.

The shooter allegedly gunned down the student for his cellphone and then escaped in a car when he and the driver were caught by police.

Classmate Ifrah Rage said the murder highlighted the long-standing issues students have with security at the university.

“We are angry. Incidents like these need to be prevented. There need to be more patrols around student residences and campus.”

Murder suspects Bongani Sibiya and William Seema Makgoba have been in police custody and the case was postponed to October 25 for further investigations.

The two face charges of murder, robbery and possession of an unlicensed firearm.

The Tshwane metro police last week reinstated the bicycle unit patrols in Hatfield following Menwe’s murder.

UP recently donated 20 new bicycles worth R300 000 to the unit.

The unit was relaunched as part of the renewal of the metro police, CID and UP partnership, according to Tshwane mayor Randall Williams.

The unit was introduced in 2017 and bolstered by the opening of a satellite police station in 2019 to tackle crime in the area.

Police, CID and UP had yet to comment at the time of publishing.

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