Police act to move traffic light gang
Save Our Berea's campaign to have beggars removed from the St Thomas Road intersection has been successful.
VAGRANTS and beggar boys were removed from the St Thomas Road traffic lights by Metro Police on Tuesday morning.
Save Our Berea founder, Cheryl Johnson, has been fighting to have these beggars removed for years, and said she was delighted the police had finally acted on the situation.
“Save Our Berea is delighted to say that our campaign to get the St Thomas Road traffic light 'gang' removed from the Berea has been successful. All thanks to Metro Police, Steve Middleton, Anand Maharaj, Ashley Dove and their team. Five of the St Thomas Road 'gang' were arrested at the corner of St Thomas and Stephen Dlamini (Essenwood) Road in the early hours of Tuesday morning. They were all asleep in front of a shop. The boy with the crushed skull was also arrested. He was warned and taken back to his home in Chesterville,” she said.
Johnson has been urging the police to have the boys removed from the area, as she said they were out of control. “They harass motorists, customers going to nearby businesses and Essenwood Market on a Saturday, in fact any unfortunate passers-by in ‘their territory’. They weave in and out of the moving traffic demanding money. They kneel in the stationary traffic where motorists are forced to confront them when they are trapped by the red light. They target women travelling alone,” said Cheryl.
Berea Mail witnessed two of the beggars fighting on the pavement last week.
In April, Berea Mail reported on an incident where a beggar, who often only sports one arm, attempted to stab a young man on a scooter at the intersection of Stephen Dlamini (Essenwood) and St Thomas Roads.
“The entire situation was an accident waiting to happen. We think beggars are living in the electricity substation in St Thomas’ Road and are possibly occupying an abandoned house at 79 Berea Park Road. Vagrants have been observed breaking into this house by parents picking up their kids from soccer practice at Berea Park. We have also observed them harassing DHS schoolboys who are obliged to walk past them every day,” said Johnson.
She said Save Our Berea had had protests, written emails and letters, Berea Mail had featured the problem several times, and hundreds of unhappy residents had written on the Save Our Berea Facebook page demanding action.
“This will mean following-up now that the police have removed them, and on a regular basis otherwise they will simply return, however we are very grateful for the action taken,” she said.
