Isolated and afraid; residents under ‘house arrest’.
The Newcastle Advertiser recently met with a group of residents in Paterson Street.
While the age-old issue of prostitution reared its ugly head once again, their main concern was safety. Alleged sex workers had reportedly made the veld near a cluster of homes their new place of business.
In a recent incident, a resident returned home and shone a torchlight on a car parked near their yard.
“A woman climbed out of her vehicle and started swearing at me. Words like that should never come from a lady’s mouth,” they claimed.
A brief inspection of the site revealed their concerns were not unwarranted. Cherry red condoms, used toilet paper, alcohol bottles, and what appeared to be human faeces littered the ‘danger zone’.
What was of greater concern to residents was the threat to children who make use of the area for innocent soccer or cricket games. A young father said he feared for his daughter’s health.
“I have a two-year-old daughter. What if she picks up a condom and puts it in her mouth? She doesn’t know that it’s filth. We cannot live like this,” he said.
About two weeks ago, one of the residents claimed someone defecated in her yard. As she pointed to a dark mound in the garden, she said her son had to cover the vile mess with sand.
“That’s human faeces, in my yard!” she exclaimed. “We covered it in order for it to dry to the extent that we can remove it.”
The residents described the ‘nightlife’ just a stone’s throw from their homes as a ‘blue movie’.
“If you want to watch a blue movie, you can come and watch it here. We can move our curtains a little bit, and watch a free movie.” The residents said they felt like hostages in their own homes, and requested floodlights be installed as a first step to solving the problem.
“Maybe if floodlights are installed, they will be too scared to do their business here. We think it will help.” With several vehicles parked near their yards at all hours of the night, they said they were scared to death of falling victim to an armed robbery.
“Is it prostitution or will there be an attempted robbery? Most of us are elderly and cannot possibly fend for ourselves. We want prostitution is be totally eradicated,” they concluded.
Protection Services Chief Security Officer, Pieter Marais, said prostitution did not fallen within the mandate and powers of Newcastle Municipality.
“I need to discuss the matter with the SAPS and the Control Prosecutor of the Newcastle Court. In terms of the Constitution of South Africa, Act 108 of 1996, Section 205(3), the SAPS are responsible to prevent, combat and investigate crime, maintain public order, protect and secure the inhabitants of the Republic and their property, uphold and enforce the law,” he explained.
He stated the municipality did not have a bylaw in place to address prostitution, because it was legislated.
“This issue needs to be directed to the SAPS and the Local Prosecuting Authority,” concluded Mr Marais.
