Forest Hill residents clean-up their community
“It’s a hot spot for people to get mugged and we are tired of it.”
Patriotic Alliance chairperson for Ward 124 Clifford Marley hosted a cleaning campaign in Evans Street.
“The campaign aimed at cleaning the open field to stop criminal activity in this open field. This has been terrorising the community. Several people within the community started complaining that nothing was done to stop what is happening in the community,” said Marley.
In 2018 there was a body and a foetus found in the open field and muggings happen during the evenings.
“It’s a hot spot for people to get mugged and we are tired of it. As a community, we decided to stand up together and make a difference. We are cleaning out the entire area to make it safer for the residents. We are standing up as a community because our lives are being threatened.”
He said they realised if they wait for the government it will take time as it always does, so they decided to take initiative to help themselves and do what is best for the community.
“Community members are excited about this cleaning project. They have even indicated we should keep the area neat and clean. We understood the challenges that have been faced daily and we want to make a difference,” said Marley.
He told the COURIER they want to stand up for the community and make sure they will maintain it.
“We would like to thank Pikitup for coming out and assist us. We are starting on phase two where we are halfway to complete cleaning the area. We are now aiming to demolish abandoned buildings where these thugs are hiding out, waiting to rob people,” he said.
Marley said going forward, they will have discussions with the City of Johannesburg about most of the properties that are abandoned and whether they could use them for a good purpose rather than being used by criminals.
