Braam Safe Week to combat crime and violence
Organisers took to the streets of Braamfontein in silent protest for a safer community.
Missing Wits student found in hospital
A student who went missing after he was last seen leaving the Wits campus last week, has been found. (more…)
Hillbrow SAPS concerned about increase in reported rape cases
The iHillbrow police station is concerned about the increase in the number of rape cases they have received in recent months
Braamfontein Clicks store closed after robbery
ROBBED: Customers at the Clicks store in Braamfontein were robbed by six armed men on Friday morning. Photo: Nokuthula Zwane
The Hillbrow Police are looking for six armed men who quietly walked into the Braamfontein Clicks store on Jorissen Street and proceeded to rob customers of valuables such as cellphones.
According to a witness, the robbers walked into the store at about 11am on Friday, September 9, and asked customers to lie down on the floor. After taking their valuables, they allegedly demanded to see the manager, however, after they were told she was not around, the men quickly left the store before the armed response arrived on the scene.
A Wits student who was present during the incident alerted friends and family on social media of the incident. “I decided to go to Clicks to buy few things, thank God I left my phone because its was battery low. Two minutes inside Clicks, 6 armed guys got in, not even shouting, just whispering to each one of us to lie down,” the student wrote.
Hillbrow Police Station spokesperson, Sargent Mduduzi Zondo, said “no injuries had been reported and no shots were fired during the incident”. He said a case of “company robbery” had been opened at the station and investigations were underway. However, no arrests had been made.
Shortly after the incident, two notices were posted at the store: “We are offline, sorry for your inconvenience” and “It is with great regret that we don’t have a parcel counter, so if you leave your parcels it is at your own risk, Clicks will not be liable for any damage or loss for goods”.
Afterwards, the store was closed until further notice.
Wits Vuvuzela tried to get comment from the Clicks Braamfontein management, but were referred to the corporate Human Resources (HR) department. All calls to Clicks HR went unanswered by the time of publishing.
Braamfontein is under siege!
A trend of armed robberies on Braamfontein stores causes a hike in security.
Campus cops nab dealers
Pap Con: Fake bags of cocaine used by the conman to get students to hand over their cellphones. Photo: Provided
Dealers snared
A MAN claiming to be a Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) student was arrested on main campus Tuesday, carrying enough dagga to fill a medium-sized pillow-case.
The man was arrested in an undercover sting operation by Campus Control officers in plain clothes.
A second man, believed to be a former Wits student, was arrested on Wednesday, this time holding about 142 grams of dagga.
Both men have been handed over to Hillbrow police. [pullquote align=”right”]They watched as the alleged conman approached a first, second and then a third victim, attempting to convince them to hand over their cellphones [/pullquote] The recent crackdown on drug-related crimes and other offences comes after Campus Control adopted a “zero-tolerance” approach to security, incorporating undercover operations and analysis of crime-trends data to combat crime.
Second dopeman
Campus Control security liaison manager Lucky Khumela said it was the third time the second man had been arrested on campus for selling dagga, his most recent arrest being in October 2013.
“We arrested him last year, in October around the 13th of the month. He says they (Hillbrow Police) just released him without telling him why,” Khumela said. He would not say where on campus the men were arrested, for fear of jeopardising on-going operations.
Hillbrow police said the man would appear in the Hillbrow Magistrate’s court on Friday on the charge of dagga possession.
Khumela, recently hired as liaison officer for the university’s security program, said Campus Control would be following the police and courts on the outcomes of these cases.
“The courts must come to their senses, this is a matter of the future of our students,” he said.
Cocaine copycat
In another development, undercover Campus Control officers arrested a man attempting to use a scam similar to that of the ‘Cocaine Conman’, reported in last week’s Wits Vuvuzela.
Wits Vuvuzela reported last week about a ‘cocaine con’ where a man would ask unsuspecting students to use their cellphones. He would then tell the students he was a drug dealer and needed to borrow their cellphones for a drug transaction.
The Cocaine Conman would then offer a bag of “cocaine” as security. The white powder would turn out to be flour or even mealie-meal.
On Tuesday, Campus Control officers spotted a man, fitting a different description than the one reported on by Wits Vuvuzela, attempting to con students out of their cellphones.
They watched as the alleged conman approached a first, second and then a third victim, attempting to convince them to hand over their cellphones but was rebuffed each time.
Finally, they watched as he approached a fourth student who fell for the scheme. Campus Control then swooped in and apprehended the man. He was handed over to Hillbrow SAPS and charged with theft.
Khumela revealed to the Wits Vuvuzela that the man is also believed to be operating on University of Johannesburg campuses.
WEED WATCH: Dagga seized by Campus Control from suspected dealers. Photo: Provided
Related stories:
- Wits Vuvuzela, ‘Cocaine’ conman back on campus, February 14, 2014
- Wits Vuvuzela, Fresh approach to student safety, February 14, 2014
Witsies in campus hostage drama
by Nomatter Ndebele and Mfuneko Toyana
Members of Wits’ Law School locked themselves in a storeroom and called police after they were threatened with a gun by two men on Friday evening.
Nonkululeko Sunduza, academic officer of the law school council, said two men barged into their meeting; one of them holding what she says was a letter of admission, wanting to “know” about law.
Sunduza said one of the men was tattooed and had a gold tooth, while the other looked as if he were a “ hobo”
[pullquote align=”right”]“Ithii ngikhiphe izibhambu zam ngizonibonisa kahle” [Let me take my guns out so I can show you][/pullquote]“I noticed that the other guy (The hobo), wasn’t really paying attention, he was just looking around” said Sunduza.
According to Sunduza the tattooed man became increasingly frustrated as he didn’t seem to understand what they were saying to him about the letter.
When they couldn’t answer his questions, he said in IsiZulu:“Ithii ngikhiphe izibhambu zam ngizonibonisa kahle” (Let me take my guns out so I can show you.)’
Sunduza screamed and told her fellow council member Lerato Thini to lock the door.
The eight council members then ran and locked themselves in the storeroom where they called Wits Campus Control. From the storeroom, Sunduza said she heard the men say: “We have to do this … we’ve been in cells together”
[pullquote]”Eight policemen arrived armed with rifles.”[/pullquote]She said she also heard one guy explaining to the other how to use a gun. “Kufanele kuqhume isbhamu” (A gun must go off).
Fearing that Campus Control was taking too long to respond, the hotages called the police.
Senior investigating officer at Campus Control, Michael Mahada, told Wits Vuvuzela that he arrived on the scene and found Sunduza and Thini outside talking to Campus Control officers.
He said a few minutes later, about eight policemen arrived armed with rifles.
Mahada said one of the first things he noticed was a bag laying in the hallway with its contents scattered all around.
“There were some study guides of some sort, some clothing, and other documents”, Mahada said.
The “documents” turned out to be a letter from Wits acknowledging one of the men’s application to study at the University, as well as other personal papers.
Mahada said there was no gun in the bag or amongst the scattered items.
[pullquote align=”right”]She also told Mahada that her son was “not right”.[/pullquote]“At first I thought the stuff belonged to a student. When I asked the suspect he couldn’t explain himself.”
Mahada said he then called one of the numbers on the documents, and the woman who answered said she was the suspects’ mother.
She also told Mahada that her son was “not right”.
Mahada said Campus Control would be looking at CCTV footage as they continue to investigate.
Constable Mduduzi Zondo of the Hillbrow Police station confirmed that a case of intimidation has been opened against the suspect, after he was apprehended on campus by the police.
The suspect remains in custody and is set to appear in a Hillbrow court tomorrow.
His accomplice ran away and has yet to been found.
Related Stories:
Update: Attacked Witsie in court
The 2nd year LLB female Witsie who spent the night in jail after reporting a crime, appeared in court on March 28. She has been charged with crimen injuria. Her case was moved to the April 10.
Oratile Godirilwe, was assaulted by a man she said she does not know at a Total garage in Braamfontein on February 25.
The campus control officer called the police but instead they arrested her and she spent the night in jail.
Sydwell Chauke, a Wits Campus Control (CC) officer, said that the way the two police officers who responded to the call treated Godirilwe when they came was “shocking.”
According to warrant officer Mduduzi Zondo, Hillbrow police station spokesperson, Godirilwe was arrested because “she shouted and swore” at the police.
She was charged with crimen injuria which constitutes unlawfully, intentionally and seriously impairing the dignity of another.
While in custody Godirilwe said the police called her “the Witsie,” and a female officer at the station told her that she was “lucky” she had not been beaten up by the police.
Even though she had been assaulted Godirilwe received no medical attention.
“They said I was rude so I will not get to see a doctor,” said Godirilwe.
But Zondo said that she was not taken to see a doctor because she did not need medical treatment.
Godirilwe’s first court appearance was on the March 4 but it was moved to March 28 so further investigations could be made.
Original story: March 11, 2013
The case of a female Wits student who spent a night in jail after reporting an assault has been moved to March 28, 2013 after an appearance in the Hillbrow Magistrate’s Court on Monday.
Oratile Godirilwe was arrested on February 25, 2013 and charged with crimen injuria which amounts to unlawfully, intentionally and seriously impairing the dignity of another.
According to Warrant Officer Mduduzi Zondo, Hillbrow police station spokesperson,Godirilwe was arrested because “she shouted and swore” at the police.
The way the two police officers who responded to the call treated Godirilwe when they came was described by Sydwell Chauke, a Wits Campus Control (CC) officer, as “shocking.”
Even though the police had been called to help Godirilwe to open a case against the man who assaulted her she was the one who ended up in jail.
While in custody Godirilwe said the police called her “the Witsie,” and a female officer at the station told her that she was “lucky” she had not been beaten up by the police.
Even though she had been assaulted Godirilwe received no medical attention. “They said I was rude so I will not get to see a doctor,” said Godirilwe.
But Zondo said that she was not taken to see a doctor because she did not need medical treatment.
Zondo added that the two police officers who arrested Godirilwe might be testifying against her.
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