Monarch, Area S bridge of terror

Patricia Edwin
Staff Writer | Thursday August 1, 2013 00:00

 

The Monarch side is immediately dotted with a number of houses and gardens while in Area S sits a complex of bars and shops.  Residents say criminals prey on those who patronise bars at night.  Monarch Court President Gunny Moses says attacks are reported in the very early hours of the morning as people go to work.

'People are robbed of bags and cellphones and people now are fearful of crossing that bridge,' he says.  He underscores the need for lights at the bridge.  'The lights on the bridge are no longer working,' he says.  He says it is frustrating that his office cannot help the community, as most people have no choice but to cross the bridge to get home or to work.  A resident of Monarch, Nakisane Nfila, 30, lives right next to the bridge.  She confirms that the bridge is ravaged by crime, especially in the early hours of the day and at night.  She reveals that households next to the bridge are also attacked.

'Last year my sister was attacked but she screamed and the thieves ran away,' she says.  She however notes that the incidents have gone down of late because people have learned that the bridge is dangerous.  'It is not that the thieves are not there anymore,' says Nfila, adding that they have no choice because they do their shopping at Area S shops.

'The key is just to go during the day.  We also want police officers to patrol the bridge once in a while,' she says. Another resident, Obuile Rammotokara says she once heard how a murder was recorded at the bridge in 2011.  A vendor who works at the foot of the bridge, Kamogelo Mothusi says the bridge is a picture of calm and normalcy during the day.  Government Camp councillor Albert Mosojane says he has spoken to the council about erecting two flood lights on both ends of the bridge but that will require half a million Pula worth of cables.  'The flood lights are not on the budget but we are concerned for the safety of the people. We have another problem of people stealing copper cables which means that the lights cannot function,' he says.  Francistown Central Police Station Commander Superintendent Mojaboswa Mathitha says the area is not problematic.  'People should report cases no matter how minor they are because if they get robbed and they do not report there is no way we can tell that the bridge is a problem area,' he says.