Community steps in to rescue crime-hit Bill Stewart Nature Reserve
Security risks and violent crime have plagued Bill Stewart Nature Reserve since 2022, and a Bedfordview resident and team have a multi-phase strategy to address these issues.
What was once a community asset has become a haven for criminal activity. The Bill Stewart Nature Reserve is beset by security risks and violent crime that need to be addressed.
Taking steps to address this is Bedfordview resident Chyrice Ellis and her team, Nature Reserve Clean Ups SA (NRCU-SA).
The NRCU-SA, according to Ellis, is transitioning from community-led volunteerism to a formal rehabilitation of the 176-acre Bill Stewart Nature Reserve.
“The mission is to restore the ‘urban wonder’ of this highveld ridge while protecting its Stone Age and Iron Age relics and critical municipal infrastructure,” she revealed.
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She highlighted the current crisis, which includes what she termed the ‘Exodus from Kloof Road’, whereby, due to declining property values, many residents along Kloof Road and in Dawnview are selling their homes and leaving the area.
She also highlighted security incidents, including the shooting of a security officer and rampant cable theft that leaves local neighbourhoods in the dark, which have also been previously covered by The News.
Information documented by the Primrose and Bedfordview community policing forums (CPF) from internal community meetings reveals that the situation was already critical about five years ago. It shows the following:
• By early 2022, an estimated 40% of the original boundary fence had already been stolen or damaged.
• The pace of theft along the AG de Witt segment was noted as ‘worsening’ and ‘increasing’ even then, highlighting the long-term municipal failure to intervene.
• There are recorded incidents of vicious knife attacks on security personnel and regular violent muggings of pedestrians and staff within the reserve’s vicinity.
Ellis shared that the community has been acting as a pseudo-municipality to save what remains, with members of the Primrose CPF physically recovering stolen fence sections and storing them in private factories to prevent them from being lost forever.
She added that the Bedfordview CPF already possesses specialised equipment, including drone-mounted thermal cameras and Bush Hide cameras, which NRCU-SA intends to finally integrate into a 24/7 security protocol.
Better Bedfordview also assists in maintaining the park. Current supporting partners are Plato Bedfordview, Finesse Lab, RAG, Brigitte Heeb, Moon Graphics, Westar MFG and Common Ground Community.
ALSO READ: All hands on deck at Bill Stewart Nature Reserve
Ellis said, “Our strategy is the result of rigorous debate. Previous community ideas, such as a ‘secure corridor’ with manned panic-remote stations, were explored but ultimately ruled out as unsustainable. NRCU-SA has taken those lessons to heart, focusing instead on:
• Anti-theft engineering: Determining the ‘best type of fencing’ that is robust enough to reduce the risk of theft.
•Formal conservancy status: Moving away from the current status, where the area is ‘not even recognised as an actual park’ by the Metro, to a proclaimed Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Conservancy.
The NRCU-SA strategy, which will be costly, comes in a phased recovery approach, which addresses these issues through four distinct, overlapping phases:
Phase 1: Controlled access: Restoring 800m of missing fencing on De Witt Road and installing anti-climb/anti-cut panels.
Phase 2: Ecological conservation: Removing alien invasive species and restoring indigenous flora and fauna.
Phase 3: High-tech security: Implementing AI-driven surveillance and solar-powered lighting at key entry points like Kloof Road, Florence Avenue, and Hilltop Road.
Phase 4: Social integration: Re-homing vagrants via the ‘New Beginnings’ programme in Boksburg rather than simple eviction.
ALSO READ: Edenvale environmentalist wants to speak about conserving nature
The legal struggle: Rationalisation of Local Government Affairs Act (ROLGA) and the lease
To implement these protections, NRCU-SA is currently engaged in complex negotiations with the City of Ekurhuleni (CoE).
• The lease application: NRCU-SA has applied to lease the land to take full responsibility for its fencing and security.
• The ROLGA application: Because the city prioritises ‘Freedom of Movement,’ NRCU-SA is pursuing a Restriction of Access to Public Places under ROLGA.
• Controlled access: NRCU-SA argues that the National Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act justifies restricting access (e.g., closing from 06:00 to 18:00) to prevent the reserve from being used by criminals at night.
• Balancing rights: To address noise pollution complaints, the plan proposes designated areas for faith-based rituals far from residential borders, ensuring compliance with the Environment Conservation Act.
Ellis clarified that the NRCU-SA’s goal is not to lock people out, but to ‘lock crime out’. By securing the ridge, the project aims to stop the exodus of rate-paying residents, protect Eskom and water infrastructure, and create a safe environment for scenic hikes, bird watching, and school tours.
In commemoration of Earth Day on April 22, the NRCU-SA has arranged a community cleanup for April 25 from 08:00.
The meeting will be at the Bill Stewart Nature Reserve, corner of Kloof and Florence roads, Bedfordview.
For more information, contact Chyrice on 079 5057 073.
