Overgrown conservancy poses security threat

RESIDENTS living in Oliver Lea Drive are concerned with the state of the conservancy bordering their properties and claim it is overgrown and poses a threat to their safety.

According to resident Cheryl Eley, she has recently had to deal with intruders gaining access to her property through the overgrown conservancy which runs from Umbilo Park to Brettonwood High School, and up to Oliver Lea Drive.

“The conservancy is terribly overgrown with bushes, bug weed and creepers providing wonderful cover for potential intruders. On Saturday, 7 March they cut a hole in my Bonnox fencing, and all three my dogs got out of the property into the conservancy. Luckily, they all returned home unharmed,” she said.

She said her dogs had been traumatised by this experience and that when she tried to pat the male, he reared away.

“He was skittish for two days afterwards. I am sure they had tried to hurt him in some way,” she said.

Eley said the same intruders were back again on Monday 9 March around 10am, breaking the fence her sons had repaired.

“I hit the panic button and Blue Security responded. By the time armed response arrived the intruders had long since disappeared. I phoned the Parks and Gardens Department and registered a complaint and request for clearance of overgrowth,” she said.

Eley said there were squatters living nearby who were in a position to see and monitor the properties in the road.

“It’s not safe anymore,” she said.

Another resident claimed her dog had disappeared about a month ago and when it returned, showed signs of being tied up. She said she was nervous to walk in her own garden as the conservancy was not a safe place.

Resident, Mark Lombaard, said house-breakers were hitting the houses in the road in the early hours of the morning. He said almost all the homes within a 100m area in Oliver Lea Drive had reported incidents.

“Two weeks ago there was a burglary in one of the homes, and the next day Cheryl had an attemped break in. On Friday last week, a cast iron table was stolen over the fence of a property and copper pipes have been stolen from another house numerous times. Other houses have also been hit. Doors have been kicked open by men posing as building inspectors, and wheelbarrows have been used to carry stolen goods through the bush. We have a huge problem with fence hoppers who come through the conservancy,” he said.

Councillor Nicole Graham said she had raised the issue at a Parks meeting last week where officials from Natural Resources were present.

“Unfortunately, their ability to deal with crime related issues is limited as they deal with environmental issues and rely on others to do enforcement. I will raise the matter with SAPS and the CPF and request they pay more attention to these issues. I will also ask the department to have a look at the bush in question and trim it or remove some that is overgrown,” she said.

Nomafu Dlamini from Natural Resources said the department would visit the site in Oliver Lea Drive in order to carry out a site investigation and attend to the problem.