Mixed response to SRA plan

Plans to form a pilot Special Rating Area (SRA) in Toti are going ahead.

Community Crime Prevention Organisation (CCPO) chairman and Toti businessman, George Lithgow, who is driving the project, will meet with authorities on 22 April with a general public meeting scheduled for the end of April.

A SRA is a joint collaboration between residents, business owners, local government and various partners to combat crime, uplift the area, and build and maintain property values through cleaning and security initiatives.

On application to the planning and development unit in terms of the eThekwini Municipality Special Rating Area policy, the municipality may establish a SRA and levy an additional rate on property in that area to raise funds for maintaining, improving or upgrading that area.

Lithgow has received a lot of support to revive the initiative as a solution to Toti’s high crime rate and social ills.

Chairman of the Community Police Forum (CPF), Maestro Mncibi said SRAs are working in areas like Umhlanga and Florida Road in Durban and the CPF is in full support of the idea. “We asked George to do a five-minute presentation in our community meeting to introduce this topic, so we are in support of this. Whatever is going to combat crime in our area, we will support as our aim is to fight crime.”

Mcibi said as a property owner he would buy into the idea and send a representative from the CPF to attend the month-end meeting to help get the ball rolling.

However, members of Toti Conservancy are not sold on the idea. Deputy chairman, Rev Andrew Manning questioned if the existing structures lack the support to successfully combat crime, how will starting another community organisation make a difference?

“If the CCPO had a larger membership, we would have the funds to increase services to our community and we could go a long way to addressing the issues. The CCPO is a very effective organisation.

If the CPF got on with its task instead of all the nonsense that goes on with power plays, it would be effective.

If sector policing was getting community input and putting together a plan based on community involvement, it would be effective.

I think we’d make progress if there was more community involvement, but that’s the problem and the reason why none of these structures are effective.

It also concerns me that it is a CCPO committee member advocating this. What confidence does this instil in their commitment to the CCPO?

I ask these questions because I want answers and not because I don’t want to support the idea. If I can get some insight as to how another organisation will achieve what the existing ones are failing to do, I might be supportive. I think increasing the CCPO’s membership is our best bet.”

Local environmental activist, Chris Skinner believes Toti has to address the underlying socio-economic problem of unemployment and poverty, which leads to crime.

“Any solution must involve the outlying areas as well, so it is important that they too have a voice in the deliberations. The churches are making a huge effort to assist. Others have shown us the way forward, so I would welcome any initiative to address the challenges we face. But I will not be a party to a them-and-us scenario,” said Chris.

“There is certainly not whole-hearted support for the idea of an SRA from the side of the conservancy,” said chairman, Laura Taylor. “I agree that if we cannot make the existing CCPO and CPF work, what difference will a SRA make and who will administer the funding?

The conservancy isn’t indifferent to other organisations, nor are we unco-operative. We are doing what we think is good for the community and we will work with any other people as the situation requires.”