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Menlyn centre 'unsafe'
16/08/2005 07:50 - (SA)
Pieter du Toit en Neldi Faure , Beeld
Pretoria - A teenager from Eersterust near Pretoria appeared in the Pretoria magistrate's court on Monday in connection with the fatal stabbing of Juan Lee Olivier, 22, at the Menlyn Park shopping centre over the weekend.
The 17-year-old boy stood quietly in the dock on Monday.
The slight boy was dressed in an over-sized white tracksuit top and answered the magistrate in Afrikaans.
He indicated that he did not have legal representation and wanted to apply for legal aid.
Olivier died in Pretoria East Hospital shortly after he was stabbed in the chest in the centre's game arcade on Friday night. The 17-year-old was arrested on Friday night.
Increasingly unsafe
Police asked for the case to be postponed for eight to ten weeks to allow further investigations and the case was postponed for a bail application. The boy remains in custody until then.
Many concerned Pretoria residents said on Tuesday that this popular shopping centre was becoming increasingly unsafe and that they believe more criminal activities are taking place within its walls than before.
Linda Prinsloo, a regular visitor to the centre, said the centre manager, Aslam Omar, never replied to her queries after she and a friend were the victims of crime in the centre. Her cellphone was stolen while someone tried to grab her friend's handbag in the bathroom.
Diane Moller, whose handbag was also snatched, said she was insulted when she reported the incident to security personnel. Annalize du Toit, spokesperson for the centre, said the centre's safety strategy will be reviewed in the light of Olivier's murder and police and security experts will be involved in this process. A meeting will also be arranged with the owners of the Galaxy World games arcade to discuss additional security measures.
Despite a "comprehensive security strategy", tenants like Galaxy World are responsible for the security on their respective premises, Du Toit said. Over 160 security guards patrol the centre and 102 closed-circuit televisions were installed.
Frans Olivier, Juan's father, said his son was playing pool earlier that evening and a teenager apparently picked a fight with other people in the arcade. "Juan asked them to go fight outside. He was not looking for trouble, and, in any case, how did a teenager enter a place where he was not even allowed to be?" he asked.
Avi Steiner, managing director of Galaxy World, said the alleged attacker was 18-years-old and "old enough to be there".
- Beeld
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