IN the wake of Community Safety Month, earmarked by the Safer Africa Foundation, the Westville Ratepayers’ Association (WRA) highlighted a few safety and community issues.
To discuss these issues, the association is inviting all role players, neighbourhood watch captains, and religious and business leaders to a community leadership engagement meeting on Thursday, May 18 at the Westville Country Club.

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“The WRA acknowledges the important roles carried out by different organisations within Westville and their efforts to unite and bring about community safety.”
“As the WRA, we recognise and acknowledge the concerns raised by residents regarding prolonged electricity outages, non-functional streetlights, faded road markings, unmarked and dangerous sinkholes, overgrown kerbs and abandoned and unfinished buildings, which are contributors to crime and grime,” they said.
The association further raised that the non-functional streetlights offer an opportunity for perps to mug and rob people who walk back to their homes through Westville to either Chesterville or Clairmont.

“In some instances, the vegetation is so overgrown that it provides the necessary cover these criminal elements favour, and while the residents of Westville have taken it upon themselves to assist to clear and trim, it is fast becoming the norm rather than the exception.”

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The association also acknowledged the work that has been done. “Due to increased pressure and the threat of legal action, the community would have already seen some of these aspects being attended to. It is by far still a work in progress, but it is still work that has been achieved,” they stated. The association is inviting the community to join them to claim their suburb.

“The WRA is a paid membership organisation, and this allows us to increase the pressure for the benefit of everyone within Westville, and we can only achieve more if everyone within Westville supports the organisation so it can achieve its ultimate aim: A suburb we can be proud of.”
To make contact with the WRA, you can email them on westville.ratepayer@gmail.com.

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