VAGRANTS, parks and litter were three issues that came up for discussion at a meeting between ward 33 councillor, Mmabatho Tembe and Morgan Subramany from Metro Police.
Tembe said vagrants were a major problem in the ward and the issue appeared to be hampered by a lack of enforcement.
“There are a large number of vagrants on the streets in the ward and enforcement is a problem. Metro Police pick these people up, but within two hours, they are back on the streets. With the increase in crime in the area, residents are concerned that the vagrants are linked to crime in the area,” she said.
According to Subramany, many of the men who are picked up by Metro Police don’t have ID documents and police could not hold them. “Metro Police are trying to do something about it and we will be working together to try come up with a solution to the problem of vagrants living in the ward,” said Tembe.
She also addressed the issue of safety in parks in the area and said with the increase of crime as the festive season approached, enforcement was important.
“Our parks are no longer safe. Metro Police have informed me that they do have a plan for the festive season. Subramany did say they were understaffed, but that they were aware of the issues in the area, and that Metro was organising a ‘sweep’ in the area before the festive season gets underway,” said Tembe.
Another issue raised at the meeting was the state of the intersection of Godfrey Avenue and Clark Grove.
Resident, Deon Visser, complained that prostitutes and vagrants congregate in the area and leave the area in a filthy mess.
“The vagrants and prostitutes use the area as a toilet. There is a lot of rubbish lying around as well as used condoms which I have seen children picking up. I have tried to clean the area with Jeyes Fluid, and after contacting the municipality twice over the past two weeks, someone finally arrived on Friday to clean up,” he said, adding that it was an ongoing problem.
Tembe said she had raised the matter with Metro Police and requested that they enforce the bylaws. “I have also contacted DSW to ensure this area is cleaned up on an ongoing basis,” she said.
