Edenvale City Improvement District concerned about the homeless
“We want to turn the town into an area community members are proud of, where businesses want to invest and where the community feels safe.”
As the Edenvale City Improvement District (ECID) continues to maintain, grow and develop the greater CBD, a constant concern for management and businesses remains homeless people’s activities and behaviour.
The property owners of the central business district of Edenvale formed and funded the ECID, a section 21 company.
They did this to supplement and manage the services provided by the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality.
By doing so, the ECID aims to uplift the town centre and surrounding areas and provide benefits for all stakeholders.
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Its footprint includes the area between Horwood Street and Terrace Road, including the Avenues between Seventh and Voortrekker avenues.
Recently, the ECID formed a second footprint in Eastleigh.
According to ECID manager Linda McKenzie, members of the homeless community in and around town leave some residents and business owners in fear.
She said a particularly problematic area is the lower Avenues around Denver Park, where between 20 and 30 individuals have made the area around the spruit their home.
McKenzie said she’s received reports of the homeless jumping walls, stealing clothes, and even threatening residents who confront them with knives.
She said another continuous challenge in the CBD was suspected homeless individuals defecating in front of and around businesses.
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McKenzie said some homeless people can be seen on Third Avenue taking suspected narcotics.
“Business owners don’t want to clean up the waste left behind by the homeless, so ECID’s cleaners are forced to clean the pavements and storefronts,” said McKenzie.
She said that in some instances, they use high-pressure hoses and pine gel to clean some areas.
McKenzie believes so many homeless people stay in and around Edenvale because of the feeding schemes and outreach projects aimed at helping them.
“We have to stop the feeding schemes and donation drives. What community members don’t realise is that some of the homeless sell the food they receive to get quick money,” said McKenzie.
Discussing infrastructure, McKenzie said in recent weeks, due to the cold weather, there had been at least 15 burst pipes in the ECID footprint.
She also said homeless people who seek water open some fire hydrants.
She said the problem when this occurs is the hydrants run water onto the street, especially when not closed.
Despite being affected by the homeless, McKenzie and Dean Govender from 1Track said crime in the ECID footprint has been relatively low.
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Govender said most of the crimes committed are petty crimes.
On average, the ECID cleaners fill 800 black bags monthly with dirt, debris, and illegally dumped material.
McKenzie said during autumn and winter, they use more bags because of the fallen leaves. She said the 800 bags collected were above and beyond what the municipality removed.
According to McKenzie, waste collection becomes more problematic when business owners in the CID use the bins on the pavement for refuse instead of the municipal wheelie bins.
“There is an attitude that ECID will clear the refuse. We have tried explaining and talking to business owners, but it’s been a continuous problem for over a year,” said McKenzie.
Since the ECID recently started improving traffic islands, the first at Terrace Road and Andries Pretorius Street, McKenzie said there is a programme to continue this project and beautify the town.
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She said they would improve all flower beds and islands.
“We want to turn the town into an area community members are proud of, where businesses want to invest and where the community feels safe.”
Another potential project will see the ECID adopt and improve the fountain in the CBD.
“We are in talks with the city. We have a good working relationship with the city and its departments,” said McKenzie.
