Bulwer Safety Forum meets
Heather Roos, encouraged residents to attend the sector one meeting on Saturday, 24 October, to ensure people who are serious about fighting crime and grime are voted onto leadership of the subforum.
AT the Bulwer Safety and Urban Regeneration Forum (BSURF) meeting on Sunday, chairperson, Heather Roos, encouraged residents to attend the sector one meeting on Saturday, 24 October, to ensure people who are serious about fighting crime and grime are voted onto leadership of the subforum.
Roos said the current team, which included her as chair, secretaries Toni Kinghorn and Rene Conning, Ginger Subramoney, Maria van Niekerk, Portia Seshange and Niran Shogan, and legal advisor, Wesley Rogers, were making progress in the area regarding the issues of prostitution, brothels, B&Bs and student accommodation in the sector.
“We as the BSURF are working closely with the Umbilo CPF, eThekwini departments and the councillor to contact landlords regarding activities taking place at their premises which they should know about,” said Roos.
Speaking on the issue, Subramoney said they had been profiling establishments in the area for the past three months and was tackling B&Bs along with Metro, regarding bylaw contraventions.
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“Glenwood has become a soft target for brothels and prostitution after the Point clean-up. It is a domino effect. We see students moving into a building, residents move out, no rentals are paid, the property becomes delinquent and is auctioned off. This is when illegal B&Bs open, bringing with it prostitution and drugs,” he said.
He mentioned establishments in Che Guevara Road, Clark Road, Clark Grove, Rodney Road, Esther Roberts Road, Heather Road and Cromwell Road.
“There are delays in these cases as it sometimes takes up to two years to get to the high court, but in the end, if we close these establishments down, the area can regenerate to what it once was. The community plays a very important role in this, but backing people who are fighting for them, the councillor, forums, CPF and police,” said Roos.
She gave stats which included arrests of prostitutes in the area, as well as theft out of motor vehicle, and urged motorists to not leave valuables in their cars. She said common robbery was taking place at any time of the day and that hotspot areas for theft included Clark Road, JB Marks Road, Canberra Road, Blake Road, Chestnut Road, Bonamour Avenue, and for housebreaking, areas included Helen Joseph Road, Esther Roberts Road, Clark Road, Noble Road and Magwaza Maphalala (Gale) Street.
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Roos showed the community present at the meeting videos on stop and search and blue light patrols done by BSURF in collaboration with the police, Metro Police and security companies, aimed at building relationships with these organisations and the ward councillor to fight crime and grime in the community.
PixzAR video:
View a video where Heather Roos discusses the importance of voting in a good sector one committee, as well as what the BSURF is doing to address prostitution in the area.
