Police in Durban have arrested nine people, some as young as 15, following a string of attacks on youngsters in the Sydenham area of Durban.
In recent weeks, parents have taken to social media to share how their children were accosted, beaten and robbed by two groups of people, travelling in either a white or black VW Golf, in and around the Barns Road vicinity.
Speaking to IOL, KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson, Lieutenant-Colonel Nqobile Gwala, said the suspects, aged between 15 and 28, were arrested and charged with robbery.
“This follows an incident on March 10, when a 16-year-old boy was on Barns Road when he was reportedly approached by a group of men who allegedly robbed him of his cellphone at knife point. The victim sustained injuries,” Gwala said.
Parents who spoke to IOL said they were fed up with the attacks.
A mother, who asked not be named, said her son and his friends are afraid to walk to the shop, just a few metres away from their home.
“We have to stand guard when our children leave for school and walk them home in the afternoon because they are afraid of being attacked. My son has been harassed several times by these boys who park near Bechet High School and intimidate the children as they walk home. They carry knives and threaten our children. So we either have to walk our children to school and from school to keep them safe,” the mother said.
She said parents have asked for police to patrol Barns Road in the mornings and afternoon as a deterrent.
Earlier this week, parents whose children have been intimidated by the suspects met with police at the Sydenham police station.
Gwala added that the suspects appeared before the Durban Magistrate’s Court on March 11. They were remanded in custody pending the next court date.
IOL