Residents at the Buffelsfontein Retirement Village in Port Elizabeth, where a “huge” intruder assaulted three elderly people recently, causing widespread panic, will be provided with panic buttons linked to armed security at a small cost.
This was announced by Algoa Bay Council for the Aged CEO Maureen Andreka on Thursday after an unprecedented crime spike at the Charlo centre, which the council runs, with two home invasions over the past two weekends.
Andreka was speaking at a meeting called to address the safety crisis at the retirement village.
In the first incident, two elderly women were assaulted in a section of flats by a tall, burly intruder who took a television set and a decoder.
In the second, a couple were overpowered in their cottage and their TV, cellphones and money were taken by a large man – believed to be the same suspect, but this time working with an accomplice.
Andreka said “social media warriors” who were criticising the council had made their lives unbearable over the past two weeks.
“We were close to tears a few times – and not one of them who announced that they will be fundraising has contributed a single cent to us,” she said.
In contrast, Andreka said, her staff had decided to forgo their Christmas party and donate the money to buy a security gate instead.
She said the Algoa Bay Council for the Aged was doing the best it could as it had to keep rentals affordable for state patients who only received a state pension.
Andreka said several people had made calls on social media for the department of social development to investigate her organisation.
“We have received a letter of support from the department making it clear that we are a housing scheme offering services for independent living.
“We do not provide care,” she said.
Atlas Security has agreed to provide each resident with a panic button for R22.
“These will be personalised to units and with the residents’ cellphone numbers.
“There are residents who can’t afford the R22. We will fundraise for them.”
The use of access tags to gain entry to the retirement village would stop and a new function would be installed so residents could use their cellphones to open the gate.
Rotary Cape Town had agreed to pay for four security gates to block access at the staircases in the blocks of flats.
“We have also had a surveillance van on the property for the past few days.
“While everybody was shouting on Facebook that we must fundraise, we only received a single donation of R150 to pay for the cost of the van and that was from our chairwoman,” Andreka said.
Bernadette Nel-Naude, from Atlas, said 2018 was the worst year the company had seen in terms of crime in the metro.
“We have to ask ourselves what can we do to stop this [retirement village attacks] from happening again.”
Nel-Naude asked residents to increase their awareness and report anything suspicious.
“If an intruder has a weapon, there is nothing you can do. Show him your hands and avoid eye contact.
“Stay calm. They will hurt you to shut you up. Let them take what they want.”