HRA makes strides in Honeydew

Honeydew — The Honeydew Residents Association (HRA) is making huge strides toward reclaiming their area for its residents.

According to HRA chairperson Izak van Rooyen, it is a tireless job, but it is finally beginning to make a real difference within the community.

“We face several unique challenges in Honeydew,” he says. “But our efforts are beginning to bear fruit.”

According to Van Rooyen, Honeydew is a highly diversified area, sporting neighbourhoods consisting of agricultural holdings, a commercial and industrial area, higher density neighbourhoods with complexes and blocks of flats, as well as normal suburban areas.

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It also sports a golf estate which has recently opted to become part of the HRA.

“Each area has its challenges,” says Van Rooyen, “And we have to plan our programmes so that these are effectively addressed.”

The HRA currently focuses on a few specific problems which are faced across their area of operation, chief among these being crime, which ranges from cable theft and the vandalism of electricity infrastructure to burglary, theft, and home invasion.

“We are making significant progress in securing mini-substations throughout the area, but we need to do more. Funding is the biggest obstacle with this, and our other initiatives, but we are slowly but surely working to get every last mini-substation secured.”

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The cleaning of open areas and greenbelts is also helping to prevent incidents of crime. “We are pushing as much resources as we can into cleaning up and clearing open areas,” he says. “In every area that we clean, we come across evidence of criminal activity. Especially cable theft.

“Cable thieves use the open areas and greenbelts to do their work out of sight of the public. When we clean an area, we effectively destroy their hiding places.

“One can scarcely believe the amount of stripped cable we come across in open areas throughout Honeydew.”

The HRA, like most of the other local RAs, make extensive use of the Toolbox team for this project.

“They are affordable and highly effective,” says Van Rooyen. “They can cover a fairly large area in a short period, and they do a very good job.”

One of the biggest concerns for the HRA is unmaintained privately owned land.
“These, in most cases, belong to investors who plan to develop the land in the future.”

Most of these developments are currently on hold, since City Power cannot, with the available infrastructure, provide electricity for new developments.

Unlike open areas that are public spaces, the HRA does not have the authority to enter these properties to clear them of overgrown vegetation, thus they have become hotspots for criminals and cable thieves.

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“The HRA is in the process of identifying owners of these unmaintained properties, that in most cases border on other residential properties or areas, and entering into discussions with them regarding the maintaining of the land.

“These processes are ongoing, but we find that the landowners, for the most part, are willing to cooperate.”

The HRA is also working closely with law enforcement agencies, the community policing forum, and other community patroller groups within Honeydew, to address crime.