Angry Community Removes People Occupying Railway Buildings

People occupying abandoned municipal and Transnet owned buildings at the dilapidated railway station near Morelig in Bethlehem were removed by residents and police last week.

• Residents of Bohlokong in Bethlehem, accompanied by police, removed people occupying abandoned municipal and Transnet buildings at the dilapidated railway station near Morelig last week.
• This followed outrage in the community after a 17-year-old learner from Ntsue Secondary School was raped at the railway on her way home last Monday.
• Spokesperson for the movement Bethlehem Against Drugs and Crime, Portia Molebatsi, told GroundUp that residents and police are monitoring the area to prevent people moving back.

Residents of Bohlokong in Bethlehem, accompanied by police, forcefully removed people living in abandoned municipal and Transnet buildings at the dilapidated railway station near Morelig last week.

On Monday morning spokesperson for Bethlehem Against Drugs and Crime Portia Molebatsi, told GroundUp residents and police are still monitoring the area to prevent people moving back.

Residents want the Dihlabeng local municipality and Transnet demolish these old and vandalised buildings to prevent criminals and drug users from using them.

Last week Thursday about 90 people gathered at the Bethlehem taxi rank before heading out to raid the buildings. They claim that the buildings have become hives of criminal activity.

This followed outrage in the community after a 17-year-old learner from Ntsue Secondary School was raped at the railway on her way home from extra classes last Monday.

Molebatsi said, “The decision came after one learner was raped at the railway. There were many incidents that had occurred in that area in the past such as robberies and many others.”

After removing several people, most of whom looked very young, Molebatsi said they recognised some of the those living there. “Most of them are people from the location. We spoke to them and urged them to go home. Some promised to go, others left immediately. We are going to go back to check in a few weeks,” she said.

Among those living there were a pregnant teenager who was living with her homeless boyfriend, and a drug user who said he was not allowed to smoke “nyaope” at home.

Free State police spokesperson Warrant Officer Mmako Mophiring confirmed that the police had accompanied the community to the buildings at their request after the teenager’s rape. “We have not arrested anyone at the moment, but we are busy with investigations,” he said.

Mophiring confirmed that police had many reported cases of robberies in the vicinity of the abandoned buildings.

Transnet had not responded to GroundUp’squestions by the time of publication.

Tshediso Maitse, communication manager at the municipality, said the buildings would be secured and the municipality would take stock of their condition.

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