- The Bellville South Residents’ Association (BSRA) held their first crime indaba at Northlink College on Monday morning, 6 November.
- The focus of the meeting was on crime on Tienie Meyer Drive and Robert Sobukwe Drive.
- The organisation says it doesn’t want to step on any toes, but take hands with others to solve burning issues in the area.
A concerted effort by all roleplayers is necessary to help root out crime in Bellville South, a local organisation says.
The Bellville South Residents’ Association (BSRA) held their first crime indaba at Northlink College on Monday morning, 6 November.
The focus of the meeting was on crime on Tienie Meyer Drive and Robert Sobukwe Drive.
Michael Graayenstein, head of the BSRA, told attendees the focus of these get-togethers is “a foundation phase of getting a plan”.
The organisation doesn’t want to step on any toes, he explained, but take hands with others to solve burning issues in the area.
“Because Bellville South is a complex network of roleplayers, we wanted to get them all together. “And indaba means discussion.”
Graayenstein warned the group of potential catastrophe if they don’t work together.
“If we’re not going to intervene now, we’re going to sit with big problems. And the main issue is we’re trying to prevent vigilantism. We’re trying to get common ground.”
Bypass jurisdiction
Police officers, the Community Police Forum (CPF) chair David Sias and a representative from the Voortrekker Road Corridor Improvement District (VRCID) all provided updates on the area of the Tienie Meyer bypass.
The bypass serves as the divide between various organisations, which causes various problems. On the one side, you have Bellville South Police Station and councillor Mercia Kleinsmith’s territory. On the other you have the Bellville Police Station, the VRCID and Jackie Visser. And somewhere in the middle is the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa).
Because of confusion about who’s responsible for which specific spot in the area, crime is often misreported and bureaucracy has led to many people not receiving the help they can get.
“This boundary is the orphan nobody wants,” Graayenstein said. “But it’s time people commit.”
The Bellville side of the bridge (literally on the other side of a steel beam), has seen a decrease in armed robberies over the last week after a wanted ringleader was arrested.
Yet, the area is plagued by other problems. Various stabbings were reported in the last six months and two people died in what may be murders. One was potentially thrown off the bridge during a fight and another body was found decapitated. Ill intent could not be proved.
On the Bellville South side, police are struggling with a lack of officers.
Other problems include CCTV cameras not working and lights that are not fixed, problems which need the City of Cape Town’s input. The two councillors couldn’t be at the meeting because of other meetings.
Graayenstein promised to hold another meeting soon, where more roleplayers can get together to swap ideas.
“It’s evident we need commitment from the roleplayers,” Graayenstein said. “The community has already been mobilised.”
