Police trainee plans to improve Cosmo City - Future constable ready to make a difference in his community

Future police officers, Lesedi Leketi from Cosmo City and Mandla Mazibuko in police training at Honeydew Police Station.

Cosmo City is known to be one of the few areas of Honeydew Police Station precincts, where crime is always high, but a young police hopeful, Lesedi Leketi aims to change that by improving safety in the community.

Captain Balan Muthan, Honeydew Police Station spokesperson, teaches the trainees.

Leketi (24), from Cosmo City, is among 24 police trainees placed at Honeydew Police Station to be taught the fundamentals of policing under the South African Police Services banner before being sent to the police academy in Pretoria.

The self-driven individual told Roodepoort Northsider that he studied a geography-related field, but always had a love of policing since he comes from a family of policemen.

“I grew up in a household where my father and uncle are policemen. I can’t say I had a passion for policing but now the passion for it is gradually developing because of the things I’ve been learning in this training,” he said.
He added that once appointed as a constable, he will apply all the knowledge he learnt and fight the negative stigma that police cannot spell and write properly.

Captain Balan Muthan with 24 police hopefuls at Honeydew Police Station.

Another excited candidate Mandla Mazibuko from Muldersdrift said he always wanted to be a policeman and enjoys the way Captain Balan Muthan, the station’s spokesperson, applies his knowledge when teaching police theory.

Muthan said the course is to prepare them for college. He highlighted that the students are taught discipline and how to conduct themselves when dealing with a suspect or victim.

Diving deep into a detective’s life COSMO CITY

 A Honeydew detective shares his investigative experiences…

Honeydew Police Station's Detective Sergeant Letsie Molapo.

HONEYDEW – Last year was a difficult year for many, but Honeydew Police Station’s Detective Sergeant Letsie Molapo managed to turn the stressful year around when he finally convicted a mysterious Zandpruit serial murderer and rapist.

Molapo, who normally investigates murder cases, said he was thrown into the deep end after he was tasked to investigate a mysterious case involving a man who terrorised Cosmo City and Zandspruit.

Detective Sergeant Letsie Molapo describes the mysterious case.

The serial rapist, Rudzani Donald Mbasigidi (33), also known as Supa, was charged with six counts of rape, one count of kidnapping, assault and murder and was sentenced to seven life sentences by the Gauteng High Court in October last year.

“From 2012 to 2013, Mbasigidi, originally from Limpopo, started terrorising Zandspruit and Cosmo City. He ambushed women, assaulted and raped them. He threatened to kill the women if they were able to recognise him,” said Molapo.

He added that the suspect remained a mystery because all his victims were unable to identify him.

“He ended the lives of those victims who fought back and who he suspected would report him.”

The most gruesome incident which pushed the detective to solve the case was when he was called to a scene in Motswako Plot 57, where a woman lay in a pool of blood.

“It was then when I knew I had to put an end to this rapist. After the intervention of other police units and help from the community, we managed to trace the suspect and link him through DNA tests,” Molapo explained, adding that they arrested Mbasigidi on 12 July 2014 after a long investigation.

The suspect had been on trial without bail since 2014 and was finally sentenced in October last year, according to Molapo.

The Limpopo-born officer said out of all the cases he investigated, this serial rapist case stood out because it taught him the importance of teamwork within the police and the importance of interaction with the community.

He said the most satisfying part of the conviction was that the terrorised communities were now able to breathe a sigh of relief knowing that the suspect would be behind bars for a long time.

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Man arrested after Cosmo City Mall robbery COSMO CITY – One suspect gets away and another arrested in connection with Cosmo City robbery.

Items found by Douglasdale Police officers after they arrested a man who was allegedly involved in a robbery at Cosmo City Mall.

Douglasdale police officers arrested a 25-year-old man on 30 January at about 11.45am in Hoogland who was suspected of a business robbery at Cosmo City Mall on 11 January.

The police followed up on leads and found the suspect and an accomplice in a blue Toyota Hilux parked on the corner of Riverbend Road and Epsom Avenue.

As police officers approached the vehicle, one suspect allegedly jumped out of the car and fired shots. The shooter managed to flee but the officers arrested the other suspect who was still in the vehicle.

Read Police warn of new crime trend

No one was injured.

“The 25-year-old suspect was in possession of an unlicensed 9mm firearm, a magazine and 15 live rounds,” said Douglasdale Police Station spokesperson, Captain Mpho Kgasoane.

“The police then went to the suspect’s home in Kya Sands informal settlement and recovered another unlicensed 9mm firearm and ammunition, seven cellphones and a chisel.”

The arrested suspect appeared in Randburg Magistrates’ Court on 2 February and police investigations are continuing.

Read Gauteng is heavyweight contributor of crime in country

“The police thank the community members for a good working relationship and appeal to anyone with information that might assist the investigation to phone 011 699 1333.”

Details: Douglasdale Police Station 011 699 1300.

What can community members do to reduce crime in our communities? Let us know what your thoughts are on the https://www.facebook.com/Cosmo-City Facebook page.

Children enjoy reading books in Cosmo City

Books stimulate children’s minds and keep them away from the evil deeds of society.

This is the opinion of Muzi Nkosi who started a community library in Cosmo City in the hope of developing a culture of reading among children.

Children enjoy reading books in Cosmo City

Books stimulate children’s minds and keep them away from the evil deeds of society.

This is the opinion of Muzi Nkosi who started a community library in Cosmo City in the hope of developing a culture of reading among children.

About 90 children from low-income households flock to Cosmo City Kids’ Haven every weekday after school to read and borrow books. The Kids’ Haven is not just a library but also a recreational centre which keeps children busy after school hours.

Nkosi received an overwhelming response since Randburg Sun initially published his plea for assistance.

People in the greater Johannesburg area continue to donate books and one donor recently donated a container which is currently used to store items required for the centre.

The 702 Truck of Love made a stop at his centre last year in November and donated tables, food, children’s books and other valuable items. Although another two containers have not been delivered yet, children read books in a donated Wendy house.

All the children who play and read books at this centre will start to receive a meal from February.

“We will also be cooking to help these children,” Nkosi said.

He appealed to residents to continue donating books and help him achieve his goal of developing avid readers.

“Some of the people continue to donate books. Sometimes I struggle with transport in order to collect those books.”

He said the area was keeping the children safe while simultaneously helping them acquire knowledge while they were still young.

“Imagine if these children were playing out on the streets. They could have been probably exposed to dangerous activities.”

Details: Muzi Nkosi 084 238 8410.

COSMO CITY - Gift spree for Cosmo City residents

COSMO CITY – Scores of residents from Cosmo City benefited from Cosmo Mall’s Corporate Social Investment (CSI) initiative.

The winner of the car is Pamela Sedibe

Scores of residents from Cosmo City benefited from Cosmo Mall’s Corporate Social Investment (CSI) initiative held late last year.

Some of the fortunate shoppers who entered the spend-and-win competition at the time were recently announced.

The mall partnered with one of their anchor tenants including Roots Butchery and local South African National Civic Organisation to ensure residents enjoyed a lunch and got their hands on numerous prizes.

“Both Cosmo Mall and Roots Butchery understands that not every member of our immediate community has the means to fully enjoy and celebrate the festive season. The lunch was hosted as a CSI initiative, as Cosmo Mall believes in giving back to the community in which we serve,” said communications and marketing officer for the mall, Ayanda Mauka.

Pensioners enjoyed performances from members of the Cosmo City community, while orphans enjoyed a fun day in the sun on the inflatable rides erected in the parking area of the mall.

Pensioners also received food hampers while the orphans received clothing and toys from various shops at the centre.

“We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who came out and contributed to the success of our Cosmo Mall Christmas lunch.”

The winners of the competition were Nelson Moyo who won a cash prize of R10 000, Andrea Ndebele who won R5 000, followed by Patricia Njiva who walked away with R3 000.

Pamela Sedibe who entered the win-a-car competition, sponsored by Roots Butchery situated in the mall, was also announced as the winner.

Cosmo Mall marketing manager, Ayanda Mauka; Patricia Njiva; and Legit store manager, Mpho Diale. Njiva won a cash prize of R3 000 from Legit.

Cosmo Mall Centre manager, Frank Sebetola; Andrea Ndebele, who won R5 000; and Sheet Street store manager, Eddy Mokone

Cosmo Mall Centre manager, Frank Sebetola; Nelson Moyo, who won R10 000 after buying at Roots Butchery, Cosmo Mall; and butchery owner, Marcelo De Freitas. 

Butchery owner Marcelo De Freitas with the vehicle winner Pamela Sedibe.

Cosmo City - Rubble trouble in the city

JOBURG – Let’s face it, illegal dumping is a nuisance and an eyesore. I have never really understood why people feel the need to dump their rubble where they want.

The dump on William Nicol Drive only accepts garden refuse and recyclables, while the Woodmead Pikitup site only accepts a small amount of rubble. The Pikitup website directed us to a rubble site in Cosmo City, however, it seemed to be closed. Pikitup website directed us to a rubble site in Cosmo City, however, it seemed to be closed.

In the end, we called a rubble removal company who charged us R900 to collect and remove everything. Now, R900 is a lot of money and not something we could really afford, but we seemed out of options.
Read Man buried in rubble during accident
There are rubble sites in Joburg, but to trek across town eight times with bakkie loads of rubble would most probably have taken a full day or two, never mind the petrol.

While I do not condone illegal dumping in any way, I do finally understand why it occurs.

The City of Joburg has made it pretty hard for people who want to do the right thing. It’s much easier to dump on the side of the road than it is to find an open dump site that will accept your building rubble.
Let me make it clear … I am in no way condoning illegal dumping. It is not the solution by any means. What I am, however, trying to say is, I finally get it.

I understand the frustration individuals experience in trying to do the right thing. If there were more sites, or they were easier to find and access, we would probably reduce the amount of unsightly rubble that lies on the side of our roads and on vacant land.

Cosmo City - Safety first for everyone

The MEC calls for the community to come together in fiding solutions in putting their safety first.

Cosmo City residents will arrange an Assembly of street Committees and block committees on 14th January 2017.

This comes after the MEC for Gauteng Department of Community Safety called for rehabilitated vigour in community intelligence in order to confidently win the fight against crime in Gauteng. The call came after an outbreak of reported hijacking incidents which resulted in a two year old child fatally shot in a hijacked drama in Centurion recently. “Whilst I commend the dedication and hard work of the men and women in blue who are working tirelessly around the clock and have thus far made concrete leads, community intelligence remains key.

Some community members may have seen these perpetrators committing their hideous crimes, but remain silent. In the event they fear for their safety, they can opt for anonymous tip off. Reporting is the only missing ingredient to guarantee safety for all our people, to live, do business and walk the streets freely without fear” said MEC Nkosi-Malobane.

The assembly aims to do a thorough introspection of the work currently undertaken and to find new and innovative ways to improve the safety of all residents through strengthening their community intelligence.