Samuel Fabi
It was on Wednesday 17th of August and I was on my way to Park Station in Johannesburg to board a taxi because my car was not in good condition. As I alighted from the taxi that took me from Germiston, I found myself on Troye Street and I had to walk from the MTN taxi rank up to Park Station where I would get a taxi to my destination in Limpopo.
As I was walking I started getting calls from these guys who wanted to help me carry my bag which I refused. Suddenly one of them moved closer asking to help; still I refused because I could actually carry the bag. I was carrying a trolley bag, one handbag and a plastic bag containing some books. This lad who moved closer to me showed me a gun which was properly concealed but only meant for my eyes to see amidst of so many hustling and bustling and he was so professional about it. The guy will not be more than 16 years of age and it looks like he has been in this business for quite some time.
This guy, having showed me the gun and glued to me as we walked together, his hands at the edge of my pocket, started telling me how they could kill, maim in seconds, demanded I give him money to eat or it will be taken by force. I was confused, afraid and dumbfounded. I looked around if I could find a police officer but none was visible at this time 13:00, even at the stationed caravan on the street. I tried as much as possible not to make my fear visible enough to allow him take more advantage of the situation. I quickly concluded: if I get aggressive I might get shot at or lose one of my bags because these boys are many lurking around the corner and one never knows how many of them. I thought about important documents inside my bag, the laptop, my wallet and my cell phones and decided to give him R10 but he refused as if I owed him some money. On second thought I finally succeeded in giving him R20 which he reluctantly collected because he actually wanted more than that. These happened so fast and I was also fast in taking a decision at the face of impending danger. Finally, I escaped!
Having told family, friends and some other people my encounter, I discovered so many people are aware of this scourge that has been tormenting this area of Johannesburg for years and I wonder what the government has been doing to arrest the situation. How come these boys are so many on the streets and it seems the police are doing nothing about it. Section 40(1) of the Criminal Procedure Act 51 of 1977 gives certain powers to the police officer to arrest without warrants any person who is reasonably suspected of attempting to commit an offence. Many people have fallen victims of these boys and they already believe most of them are carrying trolleys in order to cover up on their main mission on the streets.
As the ANC, the DA and other political parties are busy trying to comprehend how coalition politics works aftermath the municipality elections, the younger generations who are supposed to be inside the classrooms are also busy giving themselves over to crime waiting to happen on the streets of Johannesburg. How do we come together against this?
Article By Samuel Fabi
About Author: An educator, a PhD student at the University of Johannesburg
