Councillor’s plans for nature reserve

Getting rid of invasive alien plants at the Bill Stuart Nature Reserve will be a step in the right direction in the fight against crime.

This according to the ward 20 councillor, Clr Jill Humphreys.

Clr Humphreys said she is in talks with botanists who will visit the mountain to investigate a solution as far as the removal of the plants is concerned.

“There are dense thickets of black wattle on the part of the mountain closest to houses and this provides a hiding place for criminals. I believe that policing the area will be easier once these are removed,” said Clr Humphreys.

Her initiative, Take Back the Mountain, is aimed at getting the community to take ownership of the space.

Also part of her plan is to have the mountain fenced and permanent security. She has engaged with the parties who have property on the mountain to assist.

“Eskom, Rand Water, the SAPS and the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality (EMM) have property on the mountain. We have, in the past, heard of employees getting robbed while doing maintenance work on the structures there. The parties concerned have shown a willingness to implement the idea,” she said.

The spokesperson for the Bedfordview SAPS, Warrant Officer Mduduzi Nhlabathi, said although the police together with stakeholders raid the mountain from time to time and investigate suspicious individuals found on the mountain, the community still needs to be careful.

“We have previously advised that people should walk in groups when coming down the mountain into Bedfordview or vise versa. Initiatives, which include putting signage up to warn people, are appreciated as well the constant monitoring of the area,” he said.

Clr Humphreys said it was unclear how long it would take before the plans materialise, but urged residents to support the initiative to take the mountain back.