Cape Town - Concerned residents of Porterville have drawn up a petition to keep Norman Afzal Simons, the man dubbed the “Station Strangler”, away from their community when he is released from prison today.
The small West Coast town’s people are panicking because they believe Simons is to live in the area.
Simons was arrested after the kidnapping and murder of 10-year-old Elroy van Rooyen, in 1995.
The bodies of 22 boys were found in shallow graves from 1986 to 1994. Simons was the suspect but was convicted only for Elroy’s murder.
He was sentenced to 25 years for murder and 10 years for kidnapping.
The Department of Correctional Service’s regional head Lawrence Venter said Simons’s sentence was increased to life imprisonment after a failed appeal bid. He served 28 years.
Crime Watch’s Scheldon Gerstner said: “I got a call from Change.org, and we had been talking about that, and she sent me a letter that was addressed to the correctional services offices with more than 4 000 signatures.
“We got scared when we heard about him potentially living here. And there is a park on the road where he is supposed to be moving to.
“This is a very quiet town and we already have a problem with parolees who re-offend once they are among the people.”
Gerstner said he approached the Department of Correctional Service’s head in the area.
“He said he didn’t receive anything about Simons, and so we think we are safe, for now,” Gerstner said.
He said the town was shaken by the news of the release of Simons.
“We understand his own family wasn’t consulted about his release. Last Sunday, we were told he would move here and there was an uproar and people wanted to protest against that.
“The concerned residents are in their 40s and 50s, and they remember this whole story, when they were kids.
“I told them to start with the petition instead of taking to the streets, and at the time we weren’t even sure. I registered the petition and it wasn’t live when I saw that there were about 400 signatures, and it has grown to what it is now,” Gerstner said.
The petition is not just for the Porterville area, it is also for Mitchells Plain and Parow.
“We can’t afford to have our children to live in fear; we would like them to keep their innocence,” Gerstner said.
The document reads: “Between 1986 and 1994, 22 boys were found dead on the Cape Flats after being raped and strangled. Over that period, as the community searched for answers, fear swept through the community.
“Norman Simons, dubbed the ‘Station Strangler’, was convicted of one murder and suspected of having committed the rest, but 21 families, almost 30 years later, still await justice. He is to be released on parole on July 20.
“We would like correctional services to be aware that we are opposing his release, especially to Porterville or any other community deeply affected by this murderer.
“Apparently, he may be moved to Porterville, Boom Street across the road from a park where children play. This is unacceptable! We refuse for our town to be a guinea pig for a ‘kid killer’. We already have enough issues with re-offending parole criminals as it is.”
mandilakhe.tshwete@inl.co.za