There has been a spike in crime between the traffic circle at Victoria and Hout Bay Main roads and the cemetery in Hughenden Road, according to Community Crime Prevention.
Over the past six weeks, according to posts on the non-profit company’s Facebook page, residents have reported five muggings and one attempted mugging, four residential break-ins and one attempted break-in; a residential robbery; an attempted hijacking; and an attempted kidnapping.
The non-profit says poor lighting in the area appeared to be contributing to crime.
Ward councillor Roberto Quintas said electricity infrastructure in the area was being stolen and vandalised and there were no street lights from the cemetery to Disa Bridge because most ratepayers in the area had repeatedly refused lighting. However, lights would be installed along the entire Main Road route with the MyCiti Phase2A programme, he said.
In two of the muggings, close to the Domestic Animal Rescue Group (Darg), one victim was on foot and the other on a bicycle, according to Community Crime Prevention.
Carlita Cupido responded to the posts writing that she was one of the people who was robbed and nearly stabbed by two men while cycling close to Darg.
She told Sentinel News it had happened about six weeks ago at 9am.
“I’m lucky and fortunate that I wasn’t stabbed. They got away with a bag full of my belongings,” she said.
On the Facebook page she wrote: When opening a case they (police) told me that’s a high-crime area. I mentioned that if they knew that it was, why not have a police van stationed there from Darg all the way down to the clinic so that might prevent crimes from happening? All they could tell me is they don’t have enough vehicles to just have one stationed there.
“If they can’t do that, why can’t they at least have it patrolled often.
“Also those guys ran over the street from Darg right into the shacks. Why can’t fencing be put there so it doesn’t give them easier access to rob and just run into the shacks? That’s why they do it because it’s easy to rob and just run through their township. A fence should be put up there.”
The perpetrator in an attempted hijacking near the Imizamo Yethu clinic was armed with a panga.
Hout Bay police station commander Colonel Jerome Syster said Ms Cupido’s case was reported to the police.
“We are patrolling Main Road from the circle up to the graveyard. Most of the robberies that are reported to us happened in Imizamo Yethu where people are being threatened with knives and firearms. Most of these suspects are unknown to the complainants. We are following up on the information we receive.
“There are a few streets that are being targeted. The house break-ins and house robberies are also a problem in the Imizamo Yethu area.
“We did have some crime happening in Valley Road and Victoria Road. Most of our assault cases are from Hangberg and Imizamo Yethu area. This is mostly arguments between people who know each other.”
Anyone with information contact Colonel Jerome Syster at 082 778 6622; Captain Herman van der Merwe at 082 469 2921; Captain Mbongo Gatyana at 082 469 2576; and Captain Tanya Lesch at 082 469 2293.
Community Crime Prevention says residents can call its control room at 021 790 9333 in an emergency.
