Business owners express concerns about ‘whoonga boys’

For more than two years, business owners in Phillip Street have been battling against a tide of illicit and illegal activities.

Drug dealing and using happens right in front of their business doors, bringing with it an array of problems.
Two business owners who spoke to a reporter from the Estcourt News recently explained that a group of young men – who they refer to as ‘whoonga boys’ – have taken over parking spaces in Phillip Street.

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They are illegally washing cars in these spaces or on the roadside and business owners have witnessed them smoking whoonga in full view of the public.
The drug Whoonga is made up of a mixture of low grade heroine and other additives like rat poison. Whoonga is highly addictive and a user can become addicted even after only using it once.

One business owner said that the men use the money they receive from illegally washing the cars to purchase whoonga.

“Sometimes when we arrive at the shop in the morning, the place is a mess. There are urine and faeces and drug paraphernalia all over the place. We have tried to chase them away but have not succeeded,” said the business owner.

Both business owners agree that the presence of the ‘whoonga boys’ has caused a spike in theft from vehicles.
Another concern is that customers are unable to access their businesses due to the number of vehicles that are being washed in parking spaces and on the roadside.

They both suggest that both the local municipality intervene and clean up the street.

“The car wash has to stop; it is encouraging the drug dealing. We need visible policing because people are doing drugs in front of the public. Police are aware that the rank is the central crime area and it is spreading out,” said one business owner.

Another said: “The municipality should allocate a place for them to wash cars, instead of the street being blocked. There is no parking for customers and there is theft.”

The local municipality has not yet responded to these concerns and suggestions. Police spokesperson Captain Bongani Nyathi said that while the municipality is in charge of enforcing by-laws, the police are ‘only responsible for crime-related issues.’

“Police can attend to the issue of whoonga and arrest the culprits,” he said.

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