Homeless persons in Bromhof cause concern for residents

A vacant piece of land on the corner of President Fouche Drive and C.R Swart Drive has been the cause of many sleepless nights for residents.

Gareth Roberts has lived in the property which borders this land for the past 15 months and said for the last year he has had to deal with who he thinks might be vagrants.

“It’s hard to see how many but more and more all the time, probably 10 guys by now,” said Roberts.

He said they shout at each other every evening, sometimes even screaming and fighting. “I often see fires, they burn trees they chop down in this greenbelt and also burn plastic and rubber.”

He added that the fires sometimes get out of control. To secure his family, Roberts has put thousands of rands towards security fencing, cameras, sensor lights and the likes. “I have even had men on my property.”

“Greasing of telephone poles is also necessary as they use these to climb up and enter our properties.”

Another concern of his is that the greenbelt and river are being littered, eroded, burnt and destroyed.

“Contact with police seems fruitless as even though they said they would send a car there would be no difference. I’ve never seen a police response, they also never give reference numbers.”

Ward 101 councillor, Dalu Cele said he was aware of this issue and a number of open spaces around the ward where displaced people reside. “This issue is not unique to Ward 101, however, the issue is rampant across the city.”

Cele said residents should never try take matters into their own hands and should rather call the police.

“Residents could do like others in neighbouring communities who put up fencing using their own funds. At this stage, the City does not have a budget for any barrier.”

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