ALI MPHAKI
The people of Meadowlands may have battled gangsterism in the past, but will not have to in future.
This was the assurance from Gauteng police spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Lungelo Dlamini when he dismissed reports suggesting a resurgence of gangsterism in the township, popularly known as Ndofaya.
Reports alluded to a new wave of gangsterism after an attack on several boys from Meadowlands, apparently by a rival gang. At the centre of the “battle” is Dorothy Nyembe park, which borders the suburbs of Dube, Mofolo and Meadowlands.
Dlamini claimed the incident was an isolated one, and police investigations did not suggest any resurgence in gang warfare.
His assurances come in the wake of recently released crime statistics which show that apart from recording the highest number of home burglaries, there was a remarkable increase in the number of assault cases in the area.
Between March 2010 and April this year, Meadowlands police dealt with 757 cases of assault with intent to inflict grievous bodily harm. And in the same period they recorded 635 cases of common assault.
Drug-related crime in the suburb seems to have stabilised, with the highest number – 604 – reported in 2006. In the current period, 254 cases were reported.
Kidnapping has become a concern for the police – they had to deal with 23 abductions as well as 169 cases of attempted murder. Theft from motor vehicles stood at 23 cases for the past year.