3-hour wait for cops after vagrant dies
The body of a vagrant who was run over by a truck at the Mooiplaats dumpsite lies covered in a blanket as his friends wait for the police and ambulance to arrive. Photo: Masi Losi The body of a vagrant who was run over by a truck at the Mooiplaats dumpsite lies covered in a blanket as his friends wait for the police and ambulance to arrive. Photo: Masi Losi
Pretoria - A Pretoria businessman and disgruntled squatters from the Mooiplaats informal settlement expressed shock and dismay at what they termed appalling police service after they waited three hours for officers to arrive after a man died in a truck accident.
It was only after a call from the Pretoria News to senior police officers that a team arrived at the dumpsite where a homeless man’s body had been lying in the blazing sun for hours.
It is believed that the man jumped on to the back of the double carriage heavy goods truck, but slipped and fell.
The truck driver, unaware of what had happened, continued reversing to the spot where he intended to dump a load, and drove over the vagrant’s head.
The man died on the scene.
Squatters who frequent the dump, often hounding truck drivers as they enter the premises, waited in vain for police on Wednesday.
The businessman, who preferred not to be named, said he had called three police stations in the area and was sent from pillar to post by one station after the other.
“I called Erasmia station as soon as the driver informed me of the incident,” he said.
“They said it was not their policing area and transferred me to Olievenhoutbosch. After two dropped calls, a third call to the station was met with a person reeling with attitude.
“The person was very rude and did not seem interested in helping me and claimed it was not their policing area. I was told to call Wierdabrug. After speaking to an officer from there I was again referred back to Erasmia.
“Does it really matter whose area it is? If its not yours why not just call it in to the relevant station and just send someone to help instead of sending one back and forth.”
The body of the man was covered with pink blanket salvaged from the rubble.
Half an hour after the Pretoria News called a senior official, the first police van arrived.
The station commander of Olievenhoutbosch police station, Colonel Maria Roberts, said she was unaware of the calls made to the station and would investigate.
Pretoria News