Our June CPF meeting was postponed by a week, as SAPS had a huge proactive visibility outreach programme on, spanning our major roads and the country gravel roads where a lot of activity has been noticed. There have been frequent instances when suddenly there’s no no cellphone reception. A lot of our back-roads are where our cellphone towers are located and the criminals have been targeting them lately.
A battery from a cellphone tower weighs 85kg and can’t be carried far – and certainly not by one person. We appeal to anyone seeing suspicious vehicles on our farm roads to please report them immediately: don’t wait!
With the exception cellphone tower infrastructure theft, we are pleased to report that thefts in general have shown a slight decline in the Port Alfred area. This is not to say that we have no theft – definitely not. The items that have been targeted this last month are metal signboards, solar lights (especially those that are out of sight), outboard motors and vehicle spares.
Certain roads are still being targeted and this is partially due to a lack of participation from local residents to help patrol their areas. We are still appealing to the public to join the East and West bank patrol teams; east bank is led by Jane le Roux 083-327-3016 and the west bank by Mike Hockin 072-441-7896.
We would like to thank the community for information received about criminal activities that have led to a number of arrests and convictions. A large number of those criminals caught have past records and a number are out on parole. These repeat offenders are now being dealt with harshly by the courts.
Fraud via threatening phone calls and Whatsapp messages from bogus “SARS” and “Traffic Department” officials saying that you owe their departments money is on the increase. Because they cite your personal information accurately, the call seems to be absolutely genuine. They’re so convincing that many people fall into the trap and pay up.
Unless you know for sure that you have driven in an area where there are a lot of speedtraps, don’t even reply to these criminals, however threatening they become.
Please immediately report these incidents to the police.
We are still hearing of people who don’t open cases at SAPS for criminal incidents. You are just as much a criminal as the criminal when you don’t report a crime.
We cannot tolerate thieves, gangsters and other criminals roaming our streets. If you don’t want to confront them, call your security company. Please report incidents to your security service provider to follow up. Nothing is too small or insignificant.
We are getting more and more reports of movements in areas in the early hours of the morning, from midnight till approximately 4am. If your dogs bark or your security lights come on, please call your security company to investigate.
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Don’t leave your windows open, even for your cat;
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Make sure you’ve locked all your doors;
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Park your vehicle where it can be seen and check that there is nothing lying inside it that can be stolen.
The new area street attendants will start on July 1, on Van der Riet Street, Campbell Street, West Street and East Beach Drive. More roads will get their attendants over the next couple of months. Please only tip these registered area attendants.
Keep safe.
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The monthly report by the Port Alfred CPF is compiled by Alec McKerrow.
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This article was first published in Talk of the Town, July 3, 2025. The newspaper serving the communities of Ndlambe and the Sunshine Coast, with a weekly wrap of Makhanda news, is available at stores from early on Thursdays.
