Residents rally to fight crime
Residents who are tired of crime and grime have decided to fight back, rather than sit back, watch and complain from behind closed doors.
It was the spate of power outages due to cable theft that made residents in Pandora Street, Kensington, decide that enough was enough.
“A few months ago, residents who met in the street while looking at a cable that was cut decided to do something about the crime in the area. Since then, the community has achieved a lot and it is purely because we are working together,” said Ms Yvonne Cook, a resident.
Residents formed the Pandora Road Kensington group and implemented several measures to combat crime.
This included closing a gate that leads to a pathway believed to be contributing to crime, hiring a security guard and obtaining permission to fence off a piece of Fotheringham Park.
“We closed a gate leading to the pathway between Pandora and Highland roads. There were always people loitering around the area and watching what residents were doing.
“We appointed a security guard to keep an eye on what is going on in Pandora Road during the day. Closing the gate and hiring the guard led to a decrease in crime in Pandora Road. Criminals must have realised how serious we are about fighting crime,” said Ms Cook.
Residents also came to the conclusion that fencing off the piece of Fotheringham Park facing them would make it difficult for criminals to use it as an escape route. The park has been a security concern for residents for years.
“We spoke to Clr Alison van der Molen about our proposal and requested a meeting with her. She met with officials on-site before our meeting and obtained approval for the fencing. We will construct the fencing at our cost but to Johannesburg City Parks’ specifications. We are thrilled we were given permission to go ahead,” said Ms Cook.
Since the residents met on the street a few months ago and decided to fight crime and grime together, everyone is more vigilant, aware of what is going on around them and ready to help each other.
“Before we met, almost every house on this street was on the market. People were tired of crime such as burglaries and were about to give up. Then we came together and changed things around. The beauty of our Pandora Road initiative is that we are getting to know each other. Wonderful people live here. Each one represents a piece of this particular puzzle and in coming together, there is great strength and unity. We have put the word out there that we are not taking the crime any longer and from that moment, there has been a tangible change.
“The Cleveland SAPS and the 10111 operators have been amazing. Clr Van der Molen has also been remarkable. We have a great neighbourhood and this is just the first step. Other streets are also vulnerable to criminals and we hope to expand our network,” said Ms Cook.
Ms Cook’s next step is to provide local residents with a website where they can share the services they offer.
“People can get to know what the next person does, get things and the help they need from each other,” said Ms Cook.
Residents can send their contact details and what services they offer to honeybeehealth@gmail.com
