Shelley-Lynne Kemp, Plumstead
Thousands of calls by desperate ratepayers and residents have been logged over the last two years begging the City of Cape Town to enforce urban by-laws at Gabriel Road circle (Call for action over Plumstead squatters,“ Bulletin November 18).
Residents have held meetings and notified the City’ law enforcement, police, private security companies and the Plumstead ward councillor about the terrible problem of illegal squatters and drug dealers at Gabriel Road circle. Nothing has worked and the excuse has always been that Covid lockdown prevents their relocation or removal.
Complaints include the daily lighting of fires opposite the Shell garage and the fear of sparks flying towards the petrol pumps are included.
And no amount of pleading has stopped these illegal squatters from burning plastic waste or throwing rocks at residents’ property when residents turn the hose on these fires. Instead, drug dealing, violent crime, prostitution and air pollution have increased. Fire burners have free reign to do as they please, but don't pay rates.
Relocating the culprits is an issue on its own, but enforcing the City by-laws and the management of such, is an unfinished task.
Amidst a worldwide drive to lessen greenhouse gasses, these few "homeless“ people are contributing a horrible amount of toxic air to the Plumstead ecological and urban environment. White toxic smoke can be seen by residents daily, and the smell is awful and causes insomnia and lung irritation of nearby residents. Burning toxic waste can cause great harm to humans, including cancer.
These vagrants and their fires disregard the basic human rights of school children, residents and workers in the area - the right to breathe healthy air.
Ricardo Petersen, Plumstead
I feel the frustration that Louis Fourie is feeling because I experienced the same with Diep River police station.
I had an incident and phoned the police station, but the phone was just ringing; no one picked up. I went there by car and the station was locked and no one was inside the station. It was about 1.30am. Shouldn't a police station be open 24 hours to serve the public?
Law Enforcement is another case. I phoned them several times - I have the names of the people who answered the phone. I just get reference number upon reference number but no vehicle is sent out. Law Enforcement only attended to my complaints on two different occasions. I was told there are no vehicles. How sad is it that the City of Cape Town is not seeing to its law abiding and rate paying citizens.
Alastair Craig, Plumstead
I stay on the corner of Whitby and Buckingham roads. These people go to the toilet right in front of my house in broad daylight, and I don t mean only weeing on the wall.
Even with cars going past during peak hours, they are squatting in front of the wall, and if you say anything then the “jou ma se...” and the swearing starts at the top of their voices.
There have been several fights, and over the weekends all the prostitutes from the Main Road, Plumstead, gather there and some sleep there. There is arguing and drunk people and rubbish everywhere.
Three people in Buckingham Road, two houses away from Gabriel Road, have just sold their properties because of these people. In one of these houses they are women living on their own and they are scared.
They are bringing down the value of all the properties in the area, and we pay a lot for rates and these people living on the other side of our walls pay nothing.
How come Law Enforcement has been able to move homeless people from Sea Point Main Road and from Goodwood and Bellville, but they cannot move them from Gabriel Road?
We are all fed up!
City Law Enforcement spokesman Wayne Dyason responds:
Our staff are acutely aware of the problems in this area. We have had countless interventions, but, as Ms Kemp rightly says, the problems continue. Unfortunately fines are the only legal route we can follow.
Homeless people are offered various interventions and assistance, but cannot be forced to accept these.
The allegations of theft and damage must be reported to SAPS. Any by-law contraventions that occur in our presence are dealt with. Fires are put out and fines written. After that there is a legal process that follows in order to get the responsible person to appear in court if he does not pay the fine.
That is a court process, and we do not drive it unless a warrant is issued which we execute. Thereafter, it is again in the hands of the court. If incidents of defecation etc occur and there is a witness then they should report it and give the officers a statement and identify the offenders. We can then charge them, and the witness must be prepared to give testimony in court.
Captain Steve Young, acting station commander for Diep River police, responds: It would appear that a number of people have problems contacting the station. The official number for the community service centre is 021 710 7388 and 079 894 1552 for the shift commander.
The cellphone should be in possession of the shift commander at all times. There is a problem with the power and telephone lines. If the number you quote (021 710 7306) was in use, it automatically diverts to another extension which, because the system is old, might not exist any longer.
We had a Telkom person checking the system and were advised that the entire system needs to be booted and corrected. Kindly ask people to use the numbers above.