Gonubie cops field flak after festive period crime

Gonubie police came in for criticism for their handling of crime in the suburb.

The tongue-lashing took place at a packed crime meeting held in the community hall attended by Gonubie police station commander Lieutenant-Colonel Tolisile Mdyogolo, residents, community policing forum members and ward councillors.

The meeting follows the murder of Gonubie resident Marlene Cairns, 75, last Monday.

Cairns was murdered during a break-in at her 12th Avenue home.

She died on the scene after being stabbed in her neck.

Her husband Neil Cairns, 76, survived the incident with stab wounds to the upper body.

Concerned residents questioned Mdyogolo on the progress of the murder investigation and asked how long it would take before an arrest was made.

“I don’t want to defeat the ends of justice by commenting on an ongoing investigation,” Mdyogolo told the crowd.

Proportional representative councillor Roy Anglebeck, who chaired the meeting, came to the colonel’s defence, saying the Cairns murder was still under investigation.

Gonubie CPF chairman Mncekeleli Molose told residents that in his community of nearby Mzamomhle there had been three murders in two days leading to the festive season last year.

He said after the community had gotten together to fight crime no further murders were reported during the festive season.

Buffalo City Metro head of public safety Steve Terwin said a tender for R6.5-million would be issued to install closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras in Gonubie and other areas. “We are looking at five cameras for Gonubie and they should be up and running in the next two years,” Terwin said.

Residents were adamant that vagrants and loiters were contributing to crime in the area but Gonubie ward councillor Andre Swart said there was no law against people walking around and there was no longer any crime of loitering. — zwangam@dispatch.co.za