Durban - THE Clairwood Business Forum is keeping a watchful eye out for three men who have conducted a spate of robberies on South Coast Road recently.
The robbery of an 83-year-old man was captured on CCTV footage.
The man, known only as Ronnie, briefly spoke to the Daily News before his cellphone battery died.
He said he had parked in his usual spot outside a premises to collect off-cut pieces of wood. He was loading goods into his car and had the doors and boot open.
“I saw them (robbers) standing on the pavement, but did not pay them much attention.
“They could have been waiting for public transport. It is a busy road. While I was bending over to pick up something from the floor I was pushed. I fell on my stomach.
“One person held my arms. The other put his hands into my pocket. Someone held their hand over my mouth. They warned me to keep still or they would kill me. They took what they could,” Ronnie said.
A businessman at South Coast Junction who did not want to be named, said his staff and a neighbouring business employee were robbed last week by the same men.
Three others were robbed on Sunday night near another business. He said the men were operating between Jacobs and South Coast junction.
“Some of the victims are not opening criminal cases. Either the station is too far, or they have lost faith in the police,” he said.
Clairwood Business Forum co-ordinator Juan van Dyk said it was difficult to apprehend the men.
He said they moved between Solomon Mahlangu Drive (Edwin Swales) and Blamey Road.
“With Covid-19, police resources are stretched thin. The police are not willing to go undercover and apprehend these petty criminals. We are also waiting for our permits to conduct patrols,” Van Dyk said.
Montclair SAPS has urged the public to open cases at the station.
Police spokesperson Brigadier Jay Naicker said the Montclair police station had been temporarily closed due to a member who tested positive for Covid-19 on Monday.
“The Community Service Centre will now operate from the Trauma Unit, which is situated at the back of the police station, for the convenience of the community.
To access the station, the community can call 10111,” Naicker said.