Local fed up with late night drinking on streets

Lize Smith of Weltevreden Park is desperate for a good’s night sleep.

A group of people she believes to be domestic workers in the area are allegedly drinking every night into the early hours of the morning.

“It doesn’t matter what day it is, they are just always there and stay up until late,” Smith said.

According to Smith, these individuals sit on the pavement and sometimes make use of the Spar’s parking lot on Cockspur Street.

Smith has a medical condition and it is important she gets a full night’s sleep, but the noise from the alleged late night drinkers does not allow this. “With my condition I can’t be having four hours of sleep, but unfortunately that is what is happening at the moment because of loiterers who drink and stay up until late.”

Smith said on weekends these people were on the street by 10am. She has on several occasions contacted the police but it has no effect as the loiterers keep returning. “Police need to come up with a permanent solution.” Smith suggested regular patrols and fines, as public drinking was a chargeable offence.

Commenting on Smith’s suggestion, Metro police spokesperson Edna Mamonyane said, “It’s so difficult to prove that a person was indeed loitering because they always have excuses for being on the street. They’ll say they are waiting for someone, waiting for their transport or that they are lost, and often get away with it.”

However, she emphasised that people found on the streets at night were always searched by officers in case they were intending to carry out a crime. She said people seen drinking on the street were arrested.

Smith is concerned that the public drinking and noise pollution will affect the state of the neighbourhood and in turn attract crime.

“Just last week Thursday my neighbour was robbed at gunpoint at her home,” said Smith.

She concluded that some residents, in particular women, no longer felt comfortable walking in the

street.