Eldos says ‘No’ to looting

The community of Eldorado Park stood together since the start of the looting and stuck to their guns by saying #NoToLootinginEldos.

They came out in numbers to guard their major and small stores at the various shopping centers, as well as spaza shops and roads.

 

Looters were unable to enter Eldos as it was heavily guarded by the community. Eldos Times spoke to a few community members, and they commended Eldos residents. Here are a few comments from proud community members, and those from surrounding areas.

Soweto Parliamentarian, Nhlanhla Lux, who is the man behind the guarding and security of Maponya Mall in Soweto, alongside community members proudly spoke about the Eldos community and the amazing work they did to unite as a community to block the looters.

He said: “It is really good that Eldos managed to defend its community against the looters because that is the sign! They managed to take their power back from the people they trusted, being local government and law enforcement. For Eldorado Park to have stood up it shows hope. If they could defeat a massive enemy, they can defeat the drugs, crime (small and big), and also the idle youth. The community can come together to be more productive by building sports grounds such as soccer, cricket and many other facilities including a library and have Wi-Fi hotspots to help the community.”

Dwaine Ponsonby, member of the Patriotic Alliance said: “We are super proud as the community of Eldorado Park for standing up against the looting that hit our country so badly. Our community is now able to see to basics and ensure that their families are fed, clothed and without any inconvenience. We saved our local economy and safeguarded much needed infrastructure from the hands of these lawless thugs. We will further maximize visibility and capacity in order to maintain our current stance in saying ‘no to looting and crime.”

In discussion with Cheryl Pillay, LDAC chairperson, she mentioned: “As a community leader in Eldos, for me it is such a proud moment to say our community united to prevent the looting. I want to salute everyone who came out to ensure we were safe, especially with regard to the emergencies related to Covid-19, and also to those who assisted the sick. I feel really humbled and proud to say I am from Eldorado Park.’’

Ernestean Keet an enthusiastic member of the Patriotic Alliance said: “Let me start by saying that I am extremely proud to be part of the Community of Eldorado Park. Shoprite Freedom Park was under siege and members of the Patriotic Alliance gathered at Shoprite and guarded the center. The community then joined in and stood together to guard all shopping centers in Eldorado Park. It is amazing to see and especially so because life has gone back to normal. The community are however still alert, available and on guard for our Eldos.”

Cheslin Ivor Gibbs added: “When we got the news that the unrest and looting is spreading to parts of Gauteng, we were alerted immediately about the looting in Freedom Park. We quickly mobilized it on all our community chat groups to inform the community that the looters are not allowed entry into Eldorado Park.  The community came out in their numbers to make sure that no looting takes place in our area. We were a force to be reckoned with Eldos has never seen a community come together with such pride and dignity.”

Marcell Daniels commented: “I was overwhelmed by the response of the community members and its leaders who stood together as one to ensure that Eldorado Park and the businesses within the community were not affected by the looting that took place. Eldorado Park which is always in the media with a lot of negative publicity, stood tall and united against looting. I am certain that the effects of the 2017 looting really changed the mindset of the leaders and hence we took a stand against it. As the Co-Founder of The Caitlin Douman Foundation, I am happy that the decision to make Eldorado Park the home for the foundation was not in vain.”

Charis Pretorius said: “Eldorado Park has for the longest time been perceived as a place where only gangsters, drug dealers and criminals reside. With the Free Zuma protests in KZN and Gauteng, the residents of Eldorado Park showed the flip side of the coin, and it was commendable and heart-warming to see that we can do more when we stand together.”

Earl Davids explained: “Eldorado Park, always being the stepchild in Gauteng, recently demonstrated that we are more than just that and we have also proven that we are more than what the media portrays us to be. This is encompassed in a hashtag close to my heart because everyone portrayed it.” #ThisIsMyEldos