Criminals milk backroom business in Cosmo

COSMO CITY – Police face several challenges as crime increases in Cosmo City

Honeydew police spokesperson, Captain Balan Muthan

The lucrative ‘backroom business’ in Cosmo City have resulted in a hike in house break-ins and robberies within the area.

According to Honeydew police, residents have failed to assist law enforcement officers with information regarding criminal acts, thus aggravating the crime situation in the community.

Honeydew Police Station, spokesperson Captain Balan Muthan said due to the dramatic increase of additional backrooms in Cosmo City, it has brought with it higher numbers of people, domestic violence cases have risen, together with additional criminal activities, as well as illegal shebeens.

“We get about three housebreaking and robbery cases in a week, and if the perpetrators break into one backroom, it is more likely that they break into the rest of the rooms in the same compound,” said Muthan.

However, despite the escalating number of complaints, several cases remain unresolved because people are afraid of providing information to the police. “The community likes to complain about crime yet fail to come forward with information,” said Muthan.

He added that police are at a disadvantage when conducting night patrols owing to inadequate lighting in the suburb. “Street lights are hardly functioning in Cosmo City which makes it hard for police to do their job. We need the relevant electricity department to rectify the lighting problem.”

Muthan has urged the community to be vigilant and to get more involved and start providing crucial information to assist the police in solving cases that usually are unresolved.

“Residents are scared to report these people. I urge them to come report anonymously. There also are two police vans patrolling each sector to help them at any time.”

Cosmo City #AbuseMustFall Peace Walk

The National Children Violence Trust (NCVT) hosted a Peace Walk to educate children about the dangers of abuse and violence.

#AbuseMustFall Peace Walk held by the NCVT to empower and educate women and children regarding abuse in their community. 

“In areas like Cosmo City and Diepsloot, we find a lot of abuse and violence taking place. Poverty and inequality help to amplify it, but education can go a long way in preventing these situations,” said Mpumi Mndaweni, senior social worker at NCVT.

“For this reason, the peace walks in Cosmo City and Diepsloot were not single events by themselves, they were built on a foundation of the discussions that we had with the youth, beforehand.

“The walks were intended to cause a stir in the community and create dialogue among the young people. Also, the memorandum that we handed over to the respective police stations were aimed at addressing some of the issues that we encounter with the treatment of victims when they report to the community police.

The Diepsloot Police Station accompanied the children during their Peace Walk to ensure safety.

“It is important for young people to know that they have a voice and that they can help to address the challenges in the community in a peaceful, yet firm way.”

    Mndaweni added that the children will never forget this experience. Those who did not know much about abuse, or even what it meant, know about it now. They, and the community members who came out of their houses to watch the march, now know what it looks like and how to handle it.

For each individual child involved, the peace walk caused a shift in thinking that will help to eradicate violence and abuse in the long term.

Every little bit that the community can do to enhance the knowledge of young people regarding abuse and violence is needed so that violence can cease in our neighborhoods, concluded Mndaweni.

Tips to survive this Festive Season!

The holiday season is just around the corner. While for some this is the time to pause and relax, for others, the festive season can bring a lot of stress especially if you planning that holiday away from home.

Many of us also tend to over indulge this time of the year and it can thus be easy to get into debt and financial stress. We also worry about our safety and security this time of the year due to an increased risk at malls, beaches and on the road. So how do you make sure you survive all the frenzy?

Here are a few safety tips to guide you:

 

Be vigilant

When it comes to your safety and that of your loved ones, the South African Police Service suggests that you be vigilant at all times.

When going shopping, never carry large amount of cash but can instead use bank cards credit cards or electronic funds transfer to make transactions.
Ensure that your vehicles are properly locked.
When withdrawing cash at the ATM, do not allow yourself to be assisted by strangers. Only seek help from bank officials.
At public places like malls and beaches, do not leave your children unattended

On the road

Like all holiday seasons, there is an increased risk of accidents on the roads during December. According to the Department of Transport, the majority of accidents are due to human error. Most of these accidents can be avoided if you follow the following tips:

Undertake a pre-trip inspection of the vehicle before you embark on a journey
Check your vehicle roadworthiness before taking a journey
Do not drink alcohol irresponsibly. It reduces your driving ability and you will be arrested for drunken driving.
Texting or making a call while driving is extremely dangerous – cell phones cause visual, manual and mental distraction. Stay away from your phone while driving.
Always wear your seatbelt, it can save your life in an event of an accident.
If you travelling long distances by road, make regular stops of about 20 minutes. Grab a sandwich and stretch your legs before you resume your trip.

 

Leaving home unattended

Going on holiday can be exciting especially if you taking your whole family with you. But leaving your home unattended for longer periods may attract criminals. You don’t want to return home from a lovely holiday only to discover that all your valuables are gone!

Arrange that the premises be guarded by a registered security company.
Notify the security company of your period of absence so that they can intensify the patrols
Ensure that your premises are properly locked before leaving.
Arrange where possible a relative or friend to look after your premises during period of absence.
Lock away valuable items in safes or store rooms.
Ensure that your post is not pilling up in a post box which may alert the possible criminals of absence. You can arrange with post office not to deliver post during period of absence.
Do not leave gates or garage doors opened during period of absence.
Install proper security gates to deny criminals easy access to your premises.
Install proper alarm system that will notify the security company of unauthorized access to your premises.
Arrange with a relative or friend to always come to switch lights on because dark premises also attract criminal activity especially if left for a longer period of time.
Arrange for garden services to continue because tall grass can be a hint to criminals that the premises are unattended.
 

 Safety of children at swimming pools and beaches

The number of children who drown usually increases during the festive season. The chaos can destruct us and end up losing sight of the children. Always ensure the safety of your children by following these simple tips:

Children must not be left unattended at swimming pools or beaches
Parents must not indulge in excessive alcohol when with their children at swimming pools or beaches.
Children must be accompanied by adults when in vicinity of swimming pools or beaches.
Children must be equipped with necessary safety equipment when next to swimming pools or beaches.
Avoid loud music next to swimming pools because it can distract or prevent victims when requesting assistance.
Where possible children must undergo swimming lessons.
When swimming pools are not in use they must be properly secured to deny children access.
Adults must not drink and ride their boats at dams because it is unlawful.

 And finally, do not overspend

We all want to have a good time during this period of the year. We shower each other with gifts and spend our hard earned bonuses spoiling ourselves. But remember it’s easy to get into financial stress if you over spend. Remember, December is just another month, there is January coming and school fees. Set a budget and stick to it!

Gospel singer Sfiso Ncwane has died

 Gospel singer Sfiso Ncwane dies in Johannesburg on Monday (morning) 5 December 2016.

A family spokesperson confirmed to a source of Cosmo City Tabloids that Sfiso had been rushed to hospital on Sunday night.

"His wife called the paramedics. He was feeling weak and he was admitted to hospital at 7.30pm," said Sipho Makhabane.

The gospel star died less than 24 hours later.

    Sfiso Ncwane had 'kidney failure' - family spokesperson

"His family [is travelling] from KwaZulu-Natal to Joburg at the moment. Everyone is in shock," Makhabane said.

Ncwane produced award-winning hits including Phakama Nkosi yeZulu and Kulungile Baba. He won record of the year at the 2013 South African Music Awards.

The singer made headlines last year after he bought his pastor a R1.9-million Mercedes-Benz.

The Kulungile Baba hitmaker said Pastor Anosike had "saved his life through prayer" and he felt he had to repay him.

    Sfiso Ncwane pokes fun at 'Nyatsi' drama

It was later reported that he was struggling to make the payments.

Reports of the singer's death hit social media after Twitter user Mmatona Ntuane broke the news. Her social media profiles say she works for the KwaZulu-Natal department of health.

Water crisis concerns Cosmo City residents

Joburg Water spokesperson said they were exhausting all available resources to complete repairs.

Cosmo City Extension 2 resident, Susan Makhura is happy to have water again 

Cosmo City residents in Johannesburg are furious after spending days without water since last week Friday.

Taps ran dry in parts of extensions 0, 2, 5 and 6, causing major frustration for ratepayers who put the blame on Johannesburg Water for dragging their feet in resolving the crisis.

Angry Extension 5 residents, John Pretorius and Leslie Wallace, said they had to use money out of their own pockets to buy water in order to sustain themselves over the weekend.

“I had to buy five-litre containers of water which amounted to about R400,” said Wallace.

Wallace said attempts to get answers from Johannesburg Water provided no concrete information as to the restoration process.

“When I phoned the Johannesburg Water office on Friday, they said they were restoring a valve. On Saturday, I phoned again, and they said the reservoir was low. I ended up not knowing what to believe.”

Pretorius, who also spent about R300 on water, said Johannesburg Water always came up with excuses but no solutions.

“This is a human rights issue. I couldn’t even wash my clothes over the weekend,” he said.

“The reason why there are water outages is because Johannesburg Water is cutting down the water pressure and, as a result, the high areas get affected.”

Ward 100 ANC councillor Mapula Mosito said she had been conveying the information received from the entity to residents since Friday.

“I kept phoning Johannesburg Water for a speedy reaction. However, I managed to ask them to dispatch tanks to all affected sections,” she said.

Johannesburg Water spokesperson Tidimalo Chuene said they were exhausting all available resources to complete repairs.

She added tanks were also made available to affected areas.

“There is a faulty pressure reducing valve [PRV] at Boundary Road, close to the Cosmo City reservoir. The depot is in the process of removing the PRV and installing a straight-through. This will allow water into Ext 5 and 6 of Cosmo City.”