Paradise Park residents push for safety after brutal killing
Ext 13 Vosloorus residents unite against rampant crime, linking the rise in burglaries and robberies to lawlessness and unchecked invasions.
Frightened and frustrated residents of Paradise Park in Ext 13 in Vosloorus, who have been living in fear because of rampant crime, are lamenting the death of one of their own who was gunned down in the township during a brazen robbery a fortnight ago.
Residents are calling for the Vosloorus SAPS to enforce the rule of law and conduct regular patrols to deal with the ongoing rampant invasions of their community.
They say lawlessness and crime in general have led to a dramatic rise in home burglaries and theft of private and personal property.
During community meetings held by the residents to address the issue, many of them decried the increase in crime and how criminals have caused the community to feel unsafe in their homes.
Some of the residents have linked the crime spike to an increase in the number of undocumented residents. Some of them reportedly live across Moagi Road and reside in a nearby informal settlement adjacent to the township.
There are also claims that some of the perpetrators are backyard tenants who often reside in Paradise Park.
“Some of these people come and go as they please at any time of the day and night. We don’t even know who they are, or where they come from,” complained a resident who lives on the same street where a double-storey complex is situated.
During resident meetings held on September 13 and Sunday 14, in two different sections of the township, residents described the murder of a resident as the catalyst that galvanised them to demand that their homes be made safe.
Resolutions taken by residents in both meetings were the option of turning some parts of Paradise Park into gated communities in a bid to control access to vulnerable parts of the township.
However, options of a gated community in a residential area are subject to municipal regulations and bylaws. Permission can only be granted by the office of the municipality’s city planner.
According to Zweli Dlamini, the spokesperson of the City of Ekurhuleni, no person or local community can wake up one morning and decide they want to install a gated community.
“Should people do that, there will be consequences and liabilities. The city planner has the right thereafter to remove such installations,” Dlamini told Kathorus MAIL.
Dlamini explained that all approvals for such an application should be addressed to the city planner in writing, and the applicants should give reasons for such a request.
On the issue of rampant crime in Paradise Park, Colonel Mathebula of the Vosloorus SAPS has undertaken to meet with the local community’s sector head.
