“Civil war the final chapter for South Africa..” Roodepoort security expert Louis Grobler warns: “If people don’t wake up, we most certainly are on the road to disaster.”
Reported from Roodepoort by Clinton Botha 6 June 2014 — Picture: Grobler pointing to articles relating to crime and crime-prevention: Botha writes: “A local independent security practitioner predicts a sad ending for South Africa should nothing be done about crime. “Unless we do not curb the problem now, we might find ourselves in a civil war soon,” Louis Grobler says.
Grobler has collected and processed crime data throughout the country for the past 30 years, enabling him to identify certain criminal patterns that are developing.
“In some or other way we all have been a victim of crime, either directly or indirectly. It’s only a matter of time before people take the matter of defending themselves into their own hands because of the crime situation that seems to be out of control.”
Specifically in the areas in and around Roodepoort such as Florida, Northcliff, Quellerina and Bergbron, shootings, motor vehicle theft, drive-away hijackings, armed robberies and housebreaking are almost everyday occurrences, Grobler says.
“If people don’t wake up, we most certainly will head for disaster.”
Grobler refers to the many buildings in the city of Johannesburg of which the windows had been broken. “When people do not care about buildings; something as simple as a broken window can lead to many other issues. This is what is happening in Florida and Bergbron.”
Grobler adds other issues in the area such as illegal dumping, which leads to loiterers eventually becoming opportunistic criminals; open pieces of land that become uncontrolled taxi resting spots, new development causing road hazards that lead to accidents and well-vegetated areas that become hide-aways. “What I’m trying to say is that unless it is turned around, it will deteriorate beyond control.”
Asked what he thinks the answer is to resolving crime and the other issues mentioned, Grobler says, “Residents need to attend community meetings regularly, report any criminal activity, support and assist their local security companies to prevent crime before it happens and to form street cells where everyone can get to know one another”
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