UPDATED: 22/10/2025
The update:
The Newcastle SAPS spokesperson, Lizzy Arumugam, has issued an apology for the incorrect information regarding the kidnapping and robbery that took place on Friday, 17 October 2025. As per Arumugam, the incident occurred at the Village Walk and not at the victim’s household in Pioneer Park, as she had previously confirmed.
“The Newcastle SAPS apologises for confirming the incorrect information on where the crime took place, which was published by the Newcastillian Online News,” said Arumugam.
As noted by Colonel Claasseen from the Newcastle SAPS, the incident had unfolded while the resident was at the Village Walk, when she was approached by the group of suspects. The men accused the woman of being involved in a theft at a store situated at the shopping centre, in the Central Business District, which has been confirmed as still factual.
The perpetrators had allegedly lured the 68-year-old woman into their vehicle, under the pretence of being police officers, although this will still need to be investigated and confirmed.
Moreover, it was noted that the elderly woman was placed in the vehicle after enduring an assault by the suspects, while they drove her around, where she was then able to flag down a passing vehicle, who was able to ensure she secured assistance.
The matter is still under investigation, with the Newcastle SAPS noting that error of the location stemmed from accidentally putting the resident’s address under the crime scene.
As the matter is under police investigation, any further questions on the matter, or information on the case, need to be directed to the Newcastle SAPS.
Furthermore, this case is not isolated. It forms part of a troubling pattern that has emerged in recent weeks, with three women attacked in Newcastle within a single month — all targeted in their own homes. While there is no indication that these cases are connected, they reflect a growing reality: suburbs once considered safe are now facing relentless waves of crime.
This has left residents increasingly concerned about what the future of suburban life in Newcastle will look like if the SAPS fail to make noticeable improvements.
The first incident took place on 23 September 2025, when an elderly woman living on Rooibok Avenue in Hutten Heights was assaulted, bound, and gagged during a home invasion in which a lone intruder ransacked her property.
To read more on the incident, click here.
The second occurred in Aviary Hill, where two men attacked a woman as she was reversing her vehicle out of her yard. During the attack, the suspects pulled her from her car and robbed her in front of her two children and mother before escaping.
To read more, click here.
Consequently, with these violent attacks against women occurring in broad daylight and within such a short span of time — compounded by the ongoing crime plaguing local suburbs — growing concern is being voiced over what the Newcastle SAPS is doing to protect residents and restore public confidence.
In September 2025, the Newcastle Community Policing Forum (CPF) highlighted growing safety concerns, reporting a rise in trespassing incidents across several suburbs, including Lennoxton, Paradise, Aviary Hill, and Hutten Heights. The CPF further explained that these intrusions often serve as reconnaissance, allowing would-be criminals to observe homes, identify entry and exit points, and monitor residents’ movements before committing more serious offences.
Following the Aviary Hill assault, Newcastillian News contacted Amajuba District SAPS spokesperson, Constable Nonjabulo Langa, on 28 September 2025 to enquire about the measures being implemented to improve community safety. However, Langa referred the query to Newcastle SAPS spokesperson, Lizzy Arumugam.
Despite repeated follow-ups over several weeks, neither official has provided any response.
Therefore, Newcastillian News escalated the matter to the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial SAPS in an effort to establish what actions, if any, were being taken to address the situation.
When questioned about concrete steps beyond routine patrols — which are frequently promised but rarely visible — the KZN Provincial SAPS stated, “Police do not reveal their crime fighting strategies for obvious operational reasons. Criminals also plan, and their plans including countering or finding loopholes on the operational plans of the police. That is why police operational plans, strategies and covert operations are limited to those who must execute them.”
Furthermore, the provincial office added, “Any rise in a particular category of crime demands a reaction from police. There are many ways of responding to a rise in a particular crime, including the deployment of a Task Team or a specialised unit among other interventions.”
However, despite these statements, the KZN Provincial SAPS did not confirm whether any of these interventions would be implemented in Newcastle.
Additionally, when asked for information regarding crime hotspots in the town, the KZN Provincial SAPS said it was unable to provide such details, explaining, “Crime Statistic are released quarterly by the Minister of Police, and for the period in question, such statistics have not been released.”
It should also be noted that South Africa’s national crime statistics do not offer suburb-level data. As a result, Newcastle residents remain without clear insight into which local areas face the highest levels of violent crime.
The latest wave of attacks adds to an already fearful and frustrated community. While law enforcement continues to cite operational confidentiality, communities are demanding tangible results rather than statements. For victims and their families, assurances are no longer enough — they want visible action, arrests, and accountability.
Moreover, the question now haunting Newcastle is not only how these crimes are being investigated, but why the silence from police officials persists despite repeated calls for answers.
With each day that passes without transparency or decisive intervention, public trust in the very authorities sworn to protect them continues to erode.
Yet, when journalists carry out their duty on behalf of the public — asking questions to inform and guide residents — the responses are often lacklustre or, worse, ignored entirely.
What the SAPS seems to overlook is that it is all well and good to have plans, but when crime continues to rise, the execution of those plans is clearly ineffective or poorly implemented. Residents are tired of watching crime escalate while those tasked with curbing it continue to say they will increase patrols.
Until perpetrators are caught and preventative strategies are clearly executed, fear will remain a constant shadow over Newcastle’s progress, impacting its liviabilty, investability and future — a grim reminder of how vulnerable ordinary citizens have become in the absence of effective law enforcement feared by the criminal element and praised by the community.
We hope to see a change and improvement for the sake of all who call Newcastle home. As always, Newcastillian News will keep you updated.
What are your thoughts on this? Be sure to let us know below.
Looking back, be sure to read, The Mkhwanazi Case: Allegations of Capture Could Make or Break SAPS, if you missed it.
3 Responses
We are always going to live in fear with newcastle as the saps don’t do anything they can arrest the guy now but tomorrow he’s out and doing the same. They say they can’t let out their strategies for obvious reasons but what’s the use when its not even implemented, the robbers do as they please. The police know their hot spots, but thats when they get clever and move onto another section while the “patrolling” happens in the hot areas the other areas are getting broken into and people getting injured. We need serious penalties, if the death sentence was put in place or something severe to teach them a lesson like dubai, we wouldn’t be living in fear. Our police doesn’t even make us feel safe in our town. We live like we the ones in jail always having to put burglar bars/alarms/cameras etc. If they can come together to arrest so many for drunk driving why can’t they do the same and put an end to the break ins. Make it make sense.
The Police are as corrupt and crooked as the very criminals running the town. Go check how many people would rather pay for security services because the police are inept to conduct their duties.
You want to fix Newcastle? Get rid of everyone of the criminals within the police force in NN.
Skelm Skelm Skelm. that’s all they are… You can see the results of it through Newcastle……….
Very true. Newcastle cops are scared, they leave it in the hands of cpf! CPF????