HAZEL ALLIES-HUSSELMAN
The suspects involved in an attempted hijacking of Ward 49 councillor and mayoral committee member for social development and early childhood development, Suzette Little, are yet to be apprehended.
Lansdowne police spokesperson, Sergeant Nkululeko Mnyaka confirmed on Monday May 2, that no arrests had been made.
Ms Little was returning to her Penlyn Estate home, from a community meeting, on Tuesday April 26, at 8.15pm, when her City of Cape Town VIP driver, Nuur Perrin, was accosted by an armed assailant.
Ms Little said she saw three men run across the road as she got out of the car, and “immediately knew they were up to no good”.
One of the men dragged Mr Perrin from the City issued car, and there was a scuffle which led to a shoot-out between Mr Perrin and the suspects.
Ms Little, in a panicked state, shouted at her children to stay down and stay inside the house. She too fell flat on the ground and took cover behind another vehicle on her property.
The suspects fled the scene on foot.
The aftermath of the shooting left a bullet hole in Ms Little’s living room window and her curtains. The car was riddled with bullet holes.
Meanwhile, resident Kenneth Dankers raised concern that the area has become a hotspot for criminals. He said people are robbed almost on a daily basis.
“People who are walking towards the factories in the industrial area of Lansdowne, or those walking to Lansdowne train station, are the ones who are usually targeted. In Turfhall Road, the hotspot area stretches from Hanover Park Avenue to Flamingo Crescent. The corner of Belgravia and Turfhall roads is especially dangerous. And it’s not just a case of people’s stuff being taken, they hurt you as well. The police must really step up their patrols in this vicinity,” Mr Danker said.
Sergeant Mnyaka said robberies in the area have become a concern for them, as a hijacking in Penlyn Estate was reported to Lansdowne SAPS in the same week as the attempted hijacking of Mr Perrin.
City council speaker, Dirk Smit said the City would do a proper analysis of security options to determine if they fit into the City’s budget, in an effort to step up security around mayoral committee members.