Closure restricts residents’ freedom of movement
Some Actonville residents are upset about the recent closure of a pathway that they used to walk from one side of the township to the other.
Situated outside Lotus Village, the pathway was used on a daily basis by people of all ages to get to school, mosques, clinics and their local grocery store.
“This was our short cut,” said one of the residents.
According to members of the community, a person from Lotus Village drew up a petition for the closure of the pathway due to the criminal activity and drug use that takes place in the area.
The notice was put up at the gate on October 1, with a board stating the times when the gate would be opened.
It is now open every day from 7am to 8am, 12.30pm to 3pm and 5pm to 6pm.
It is closed over weekends, on public holidays and in school holidays.
People were allegedly not informed about this change, although a meeting was held with five members of the community in attendance,
According to residents, the community was not consulted about the pathway being closed at certain times.
Security guards are placed at the gate to monitor who goes in and out and to stop people from using the pathway outside of the times stated on the notice board.
“The poorest of the poor live in old Actonville and they use the pathway as a shortcut to get to the other side of Actonville.” said Haseena Ismail, a PR councillor in the affected area.
Due to the pathway being open only at certain times, residents are forced to walk the long way around to get to the other side of Actonville.
“It’s very unfair; most people don’t have vehicles to move from one part of Actonville to the next,” said Fazila Lombat, a resident in Actonville.
”How will the old people get to the clinics or the hospital? They are too old to walk that distance,” she added.
Ward 29’s Clr Imtiaz Loonat said: “Yes – the pathway will be closed, due to the criminal activity that happens in the area.”
According to some of the residents it is the EMPD and the police’s job to protect the residents of Actonville, by regularly patrolling the area to decrease the amount of crime currently happening.
Residents have drawn up a petition to protest against the closure.
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