A cloud of fear hangs over residents of La Mesa complex in Maple Street since two criminals were caught on CCTV threatening a resident with a panga.
The criminals held up a resident last year who was apparently waiting for her friend at the gate of a complex which borders the old entrance of Golden Harvest Park.
In a separate incident, an intruder was caught on CCTV on 6 December while inspecting the security measures before he tried to gain entry into the complex. Residents complained that criminals were using the section of the park to hide and attack them.
Grasses and trees at this section of the park are overgrown. Residents are now calling for a solution and believe that stakeholders such as Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo and Honeydew police were failing to do their job.
Moréna Gaud said over the past 10 years some of the displaced people living in the park had targeted the surrounding complexes, including La Mesa and La Junta.
“There are so many people living inside the park and we don’t really know who they are,” Gaud said. She suggested that Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo should install better fencing and strengthen security to remedy the situation.
“Criminals have attacked several people from our complexes. It is like we are living in a war zone,” said one of the residents, Mike Gower. He said although they have increased their security over the past few years, criminals were still trying to fiddle with their electric fence to gain access to the complex.
A gardener, Steve Meki, said the crime usually occurs from Thursdays to Saturdays. “It is like they are watching residents from a distance,” he said.
He added that they hide in the bushes and can see residents from afar before attacking them. “They even target people who walk through the park to Olievenhout Avenue,” he said.
Ward 101 councillor Dalu Cele said he met with residents and explained the security initiative in the ward. He said he could not divulge some of the security efforts as this might jeopardise the ongoing initiative.
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