Latest news with #VerulamCommunityPolicingForum
IOL News
28-05-2025
- IOL News
Detective work needed to solve violent bus attacks in Verulam
A bus driver was killed during an attack on a bus on Tuesday evening. A conductor and a pregnant woman were also injured in the attack. Image: Reaction Unit South Africa The Verulam Community Policing Forum (CPF) believes detective work can help uncover recent violent attacks on buses, which have left bus drivers dead. This comes after another shooting claimed the life of a bus driver in Verulam, two weeks after another fatal shooting. On Tuesday evening, Reaction Unit South Africa (Rusa) responded to a shooting where a bus driver was killed and his conductor and a five-month pregnant woman were shot in Redcliffe, Verulam. Rusa spokesperson Prem Balram said the unit and Verulam SAPS Crime Prevention Unit responded to the scene after 6pm. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ Balram said first responders learned that two suspects boarded the bus on the corner of Orchid and Redcliffe drives. The suspects produced firearms and opened fire indiscriminately before fleeing on foot. They did not steal any valuables. 'The driver and conductor were expedited to the hospital before the arrival of reaction officers and police. The driver was pronounced deceased shortly after his arrival at the medical facility. The extent of his colleague's injuries remains unknown. 'The 26-year-old pregnant female was seated on the side of the road. She was shot through her right thigh. She was stabilised on scene before being transported to the hospital in a stable condition,' Balram said. A pregnant woman was among three people shot during an incident on a bus in Verulam on Tuesday evening. Image: Reaction Unit South Africa KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda confirmed that the driver succumbed to his injuries at the hospital. 'Police in Verulam have opened a case of murder and two counts of attempted murder following an incident in which a bus driver and two passengers were allegedly shot by unknown suspects inside a bus on Orchid Drive at Redcliff in Verulam on Tuesday evening,' Netshiunda said. He said the murder motive was unknown. Verulam CPF chairperson Rachel Wilkin said this category of crime falls under police dependent because it is not a social crime. 'There are other motives which require detective work to get to the bottom of this; these now depend on police action. Only when they do their detective work and they put it before the court, will anyone know what is conclusive because even in front of a court, it has to be proved,' Wilkin said. Wilkin said safe spaces are no longer safe. Criminals invade schools, clinics, hospitals, churches, and even cemeteries. 'We have a breed of criminals now that have zero moral conscience. There's zero ethics or humanity governing them or their actions,' Wilkin said. She asked how one goes to bed at night after shooting a pregnant woman. 'We need to question what it is that we are doing as a society that is breeding this kind of inhumanity, this lack of compassion, this entitlement,' Wilkin said. Two weeks ago, a bus driver died in hospital after being shot in the arm and abdomen during a violent attack on a bus in Verulam. Image: Reaction Unit South Africa On May 12, Balram reported that a bus driver shot during a robbery on Buffelsdraai Road in Buffelsdraai died in the hospital. It is alleged that four suspects posed as passengers before producing firearms and shooting the driver while the bus was in motion. The bus left the roadway before stopping. Balram said the driver was shot in the arm and abdomen. The suspects stole cash and robbed passengers before fleeing on foot.
IOL News
09-05-2025
- IOL News
Elderly Verulam man attacked by gardener: community leaders urge caution
The elderly man was assaulted and his home was ransacked COMMUNITY leaders in Verulam are urging residents to thoroughly vet individuals they hire for home services after an elderly man was brutally attacked and robbed by a gardener. The 68-year-old man was accosted by the gardener a week after he was employed to clean the man's yard, on Monday. The man's wife, who did not want to be named, told POST that her husband was still in hospital. He suffered a cracked skull and injuries to his face and the loss of a tooth, during the attack. 'My husband is still in hospital but is recovering,' she said. Prem Balram, head of Reaction Unit South Africa, said the suspect was posing as a gardener and when he entered the victim's house to remove a ladder, he attacked the victim. 'Two other suspects thereafter entered the house and searched for valuables. A 71-year-old woman was also in the home and attempted to flee when she noticed her relative being attacked. 'She was pursued and dragged back into the house by the men. Both victims were threatened with murder if they attempted to call out for assistance. The suspects fled on foot with a Huawei cell phone and household items,' he added. Rachel Wilkin, chairperson of the Verulam Community Policing Forum, urged residents to do more vetting when they employed unknown people to work in their homes. 'You cannot just let anyone into your property. We are not living in safe times. People need to realise that when they employ cheaper labourers, they are actively endangering their lives. Those who offer cheap labour often come into your property to scout for items they could steal. 'We advise residents to obtain the identity document, a photograph and residential address of a person who is unknown to them before they can employ them,' she added. Wilkin said obtaining documents of employees had become a necessity. 'Criminals are using every avenue to gain entry into properties. They pose as police, healthcare workers, and many other public service employees. Nothing is stopping them from exploiting people who are looking for cheap labour just to get into their homes.' 'We also advise residents to treat people they employ with respect and dignity. If there is conflict, people must remember that it is better to have peace than to be right. Residents must do due diligence to ensure their well being and safety. If there is someone working in the yard or home, elderly residents must let their children, neighbours or someone they trust know about it,' she urged. THE POST
