Communities stand together to protect residents, local businesses

In Heidelberg, many businesses have closed their doors for the past three days as a safety precaution to staff and clients. The Heidelberg Mall was closed for the past two days and has opened again for business today (July 14).

Other businesses, such as the Pick ‘n Pay located at the Victorian Centre, remain open for business until 19:00 unless the situation in town changes.

The Lesedi Local Municipality (LLM) offices have been closed since Monday as a safety measure as numerous staff members are unable to reach the offices safely due to ongoing protests in Ratanda.

Yolandi Boshoff, chairperson of Heidelberg Chamber of Business (HCB), created a WhatsApp platform for local business owners who are targeted by looters to advise the group should they need urgent assistance.

Protests and looting have been confirmed in parts of Duduza while it is alleged that some businesses were looted overnight on July 12 in Ratanda; however, no official statement has been provided.

Thus far, no protests nor looting activities have been reported in Heidelberg or Nigel.

The Nigel community members together with taxi drivers from surrounding areas gathered at the Angelo Mall throughout the day and camped there last night (July 13) to protect the town.

In Heidelberg, members of the CPF together with SAPS and local security companies patrolled until late last night to protect residents and businesses.

“We are committed towards the people of Heidelberg and ready for any eventuality with the cooperation between AfriForum and other safety forums,” said Willem Sprong, chairperson of AfriForum Neighbourhood Watch Heidelberg.

“Our patrollers are on route and hot spots are being monitored every 24 hours,” Flip Minnaar, chairperson of CPF Heidelberg, said.

In a media release, Gerry Holtzhausen, DA councillor of Lesedi (Ward Nine) advised residents to try and stock up on essentials, such as long-life milk and bread, as delivery trucks might not be able to bring in fresh supplies for a while.

“Although the country is currently in lockdown level four, with a curfew, it is not adhered to by the criminal elements,” said Holtzhausen, who requested residents to continue to be responsible and guard their health and those of others around them.

Community members, police forums and local security companies have joined forces in Heidelberg and Nigel to help and protect local businesses.

Shaun Bamford of the Nigel Community on Patrol (NCOP) advised that everything in town is calm for now and that the group has members on the roads to ensure that the town remains safe.

“I would also like to thank everyone who got involved to protect the town and everyone who provided firewood, food, water and so much more,” said Bamford.

“Nigel is one awesome town, well done.”

The City of Ekurhuleni (CoE) also advised that service delivery has been widely affected by the current situation and that the turnaround time to attend to service requests and providing other services, such as waste collection, power and water outages may be delayed.

Some CoE officials might also have been unable to get to work due to road blockages in different areas.
Residents who have not had their waste collected are encouraged to keep their waste bins outside as the City is working to clear the backlog.

“Members of the SAPS, the EMPD and NCOP are on the ground and alert,” said Wollaston Labuschagne, the DA Ward 88 councillor for Nigel and urged everyone not to spread any unverified or unconfirmed information regarding the current situation and to remain calm.

“Thank you to everyone who took on the cold to keep us safe,” Nigel resident, Sandra Stroh, wrote on Facebook.

“Every Nigel resident is proud of you and you are absolute gems.”

Many other residents also expressed their thanks and appreciation.