Ward 65 residents concerned about safety in the area
DENVER- Denver community fear for they safety.
A public meeting for Ward 65 was held on January 17 in Denver to address issues of crime and train safety.
Residents expressed their concerns about their safety when they are at the train stations because that is where they get robbed. This was attributed to a lack of lights.
The residents suggested that a bridge is built to ensure their safety.
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Ward committee member for safety Madoda Yende said that a meeting was held with Prasa to request the railway lines to be barricaded and also look into the issue of building a bridge.
“As passengers, we need to be safe. Passengers suffer during the rainy season because the tunnel that is currently being used gets flooded and that is not safe,” said Yende.
He encouraged residents to report the crime in the area because it helps in identifying the hotspots where people get robbed during the night.
“We would be happy if surveillance cameras can be installed in the hotspot areas like Princess and George Goch.
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“But if these crimes don’t get reported to the police, we take it that all is well in the community.”
A community member raised concerns about safety after reporting a crime.
He alleged that he reported a case at Jeppe Police Station and was later attacked by the person he reported. The man was told that they were aware that he reported the crime to the police.
He said he now fears for his life and said he does not trust the police because they work with criminals.
“I’m shocked to hear of such an incident. A resident should not be terrorised because they reported a crime. We will look into the issue and find out who threated the resident,” said Yende.
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Residents were also warned about attacking and intimidating of emergency service staff in areas like George Goch.
He said that the emergency staff is now afraid to respond to areas like George Goch because community members attack them.
“We cannot address issues with violence if we are unhappy with the emergency service. Whether it’s an ambulance or the fire brigade, do not prevent them from doing their work. Just make a note if they arrived late and inform the ward committee what happened.
“We will then take the issues to the relevant people to deal with,” said Yende.
He promised residents that a meeting will be organised where JMPD and SAPS top management are present to answer all the questions the community has and find solutions.
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A representative from home affairs was present at the meeting to address the problems surrounding the issuing of new smart cards, childbirth registration and duplication of identity documents.
He urged the residents to make use of the home affairs services and also register babies as soon as they are born.
The Jeppe SAPS relief commander can be reached on 082 371 9746.
