Following a number of reported safety concerns surrounding the Panorama Garden Site, the decision was made to temporarily close the property in March. This came after a multi-disciplinary raid in February where local police, metro police, and representatives from the Department of Home Affairs removed squatters and a group of people who would sit outside the site and intimidate residents, demanding money to dispose of their waste.
Residents and ward councillors also reported that burglaries on nearby properties were a large concern. The City of Joburg and its waste management entity hoped to use the ‘temporary’ closure to attend to the reported safety concerns, but it seems that they will need a bit more time, “The gains of the raid have proved to be short-lived as the entrance to the site yet again is littered with a group of people,” said Pikitup spokesperson, Muzi Mkhwanazi. Therefore Pikitup has taken the decision to keep the garden site closed until further notice in order to safeguard residents.
Mkhwanazi said Pikitup worked closely with various stakeholders, including law enforcement, after the site’s initial closure in an attempt to find a permanent solution to the problem. “The solution has not yet been found because law-enforcement agencies do not have enough capacity to patrol the site on a 24-hour basis to ensure the safety of residents and staff,” the spokesperson continued.
Hoping to alleviate the need for 24-hour police patrols, Mkhwanazi said Pikitup was working on the possibility of contracting armed security service providers for a predetermined period of time. He continued to say that after the procurement process is complete, the site will be re-opened for residents to dispose of their waste. He has, however, not given an estimation as to when this may happen.
Pikitup is appealing to residents to dispose of their garden waste at two alternative sites that are closest to the Panorama Garden site while they work on the procurement of armed security providers.
The two alternative garden sites that Pikitup recommends are:
• The Penny Road Garden Site (situated on Penny Road corner Nic Toomey Boulevard in Roodepoort West)
• The Fairlands Garden Site (situated on the corner of Smit and 5th Streets in Fairlands)
“The resources working at Panorama Garden Site will be deployed to the two alternative sites to deal with the additional garden waste that will be brought to those sites,” concluded Mkhwanazi.
Pikitup apologises for any inconvenience caused and appeals to residents to use the two sites while the problem at the Panorama Garden Site is being addressed.
