Community reclaims reserve
Residents’ initiatives to reclaim the Bill Stewart Nature Reserve in Bedfordview have intensified.
The Take Back The Mountain team is led by its chairperson, Mrs Jill Humphreys.
Crimes including rape, robbery and drug usage have been reported in the reserve. There have even been complaints of illegal dumping.
Mrs Humphryes said the initiative was to protect and restore the nature reserve.
“Bill Stewart is a special space with unique flora in its confines. It is also of geological interest. There are iron-age sites located within the reserve and the view up from the top is also spectacular. Our intention is to protect this area, sustain it as a safe resource and enhance the reserve over time,” said Mrs Humphreys.
She added that not enough attention is given to this particular nature reserve and this is attracting bad elements to the park.
“Unfortunately, there is currently a great deal of illegal and suspect activity in the nature reserve, to the extent that the reserve is being spoiled by litter, vagrancy and more. The community regards it as being too unsafe to be utilised,” she said.
Together with the Taking Back the Mountain initiative, the Residents Action Group, the SAPS and the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD), more operations are being run within the park.
Mrs Humphreys said every third Sunday of the month sees Bedfordview residents cleaning up at the Bill Stewart Nature Reserve.
“During the clean-up we find things like burnt cables. This shows that the nature reserve is being used by criminals for their illegal activities. We believe by having many people properly using the nature reserve, we will discourage unwanted activity in the area. In the last clean-up, we had other nearby communities helping us. We hope to strengthen that relationship,” she said.
The initiative is not to get rid of the honest users of the nature reserve, but to simply return the park to being a respectable area.
“Religious groups wishing to make use of the reserve will be approached to also act as guardians by keeping to the bylaws and helping keep the area clean. Their presence will also be a valuable contribution to usage, which is agreed to be a deterrent for nefarious purposes,” Mrs Humphreys said.
