Neighbourhood watch wants answers
There was a lot of hype surrounding council's decision to install cameras at Red Hill Cemetery, but almost a year later there's no cameras on the property.
EARLY last year residents living around the Red Hill Cemetery were excited by the news that CCTV cameras would be installed to help with the ongoing crime that’s plagued the graveyeard for years.
But, a year later and almost in another financial year, eThekwini Municipality has not delivered on its promise.
The local neighbourhood watch, Mvoti Neighbourhood Watch, highlighted the issues about the cemetery with Northglen News in May last year.
These included broken fencing, broken lights, broken gates, overgrown grass, overgrown open spaces, littering, using the cemetery as a thoroughfare during peak traffic hours, unkept halls, stolen copper cables, poor state of roads, vandalism and criminals using the cemetery as a hideout and escape route.
“It seems to me that it will take the death or mortal injury to an innocent person before any action will take place,” said chairman of the watch, Howard Oram.
Oram said the only person who has been committed and followed up on the watch’s concerns was Colonel MI Mngadi, station commander of Greenwood Park Police Station, who has placed a task team in the cemetery to try to stop the discharging of firearms in the cemetery,” Oram said.
There was much excitement in the area last year when word got out that council had set aside funds in the budget for the installation of CCTV cameras.
“There has been a lot of talk about CCTV cameras to be erected in the cemetery, however there are two unanswered questions. Firstly, who is going to monitor these cameras? Secondly, what will be the overall cost for the project?” Oram said.
He suggested that is would be more advantageous to firstly secure the area by repairing the broken walls and fence to stop the free flow of criminals and then to beef up the security altogether.
He also said it was vital for council to stop people from driving and walking through the cemetery after hours by enforcing the times laid down by the authorities.
“I still wish to have a meeting with the relevant authorities at which all parties be present to discuss the way forward to this problem and agree to a time span for its completion. I look forward to a positive and progressive meeting in the very near future,” he concluded.
Numerous attempts to get comment from the eThekwini Municipality had failed at the time of publication.
