THESE residents are worried about the abandoned shacks in the area.
They believe the shacks hide criminals in the area who are causing havoc.
According to the residents, they want the owners of the abandoned shacks to come and occupy them, or else they'll end up demolishing them.
According to community leader King Mukansi (41), from Bangladesh in Hebron, North West, the abandoned shacks are a concern that demands action so that they can easily fight crime.
"People buy stands and disappear. These shacks are a nightmare. Criminals steal from the community and hide the stolen property inside. These criminals also hide there," he said.
King said that there is a lot of crime in Bangladesh, and they hear gunshots at night and people screaming.
Another resident, Gloria Thobane (49), said that an abandoned shack next to her once housed a dangerous thug.
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She alleged the police arrested a criminal who was in possession of firearms and ammunition almost two years ago.
Gloria said the thug disguised himself as if he was repairing electrical appliances like TVs.
“We want these shacks to be demolished because they are inviting criminals. The thug who was arrested here was cool, always smiling and friendly. We thought he was repairing TVs," she said.
Gloria said that at night, they heard gunshots.
She claimed that there's no police visibility in the area, especially at night.
"We only see the police when they come and arrest a criminal here," she said.
Some residents in the area said that criminals even break into their homes during the day and at night.
North West police spokeswoman Lieutenant-Colonel Amanda Funani said: "The police are patrolling the area and also dealing with crime in the area. But we are not aware of the high crime rate in the area."
