Tiled ‘underground home’ found in wetland in Van Riebeeck Park

AN early morning operation on Saturday uncovered make-shift ‘homes’ in the wetland along Soutpansberg Drive in Van Riebeeck Park.

Organised by Van Riebeeck Park Community Policing Forum, the 6am operation was joined by Norkem Park SAPS and ward councillor Gideon van Zyl, while MML Security provided back-up.

Also read:

• Councillor hands over petition to clean up Glen Marais ‘shack farm’

“Van Riebeeck Park Community Policing patrollers approached Sgt Ferreira of Norkem Park Police Station to run a special operation to go into the wetlands between Soutpansberg Drive and the railway tracks,” said Cobus Jonker of the CPF.

The idea behind the early operation was to catch would-be criminals off-guard, as this is more or less the time when illegal activities such as house robberies and smash-and-grabs occur.

Criminals typically commit house break-ins and then flee into the veld, using it as a hiding spot.

During the foot patrol through the wetlands, make-shift dwellings were discovered as well as bags of clothing hidden in different areas between the trees.

“We found different dwellings where people are staying, including in the open and between trees. Some people had even made homes inside the drain pipes and one underground home,” Jonker revealed.

According to Jonker, the underground home was even divided into sections and had a tiled floor.

Drugs, bank cards, knives, car and house keys, a laptop, PlayStation games, CDs, two drivers’ licenses and tools suspected to be used for house-breaking were found by the dwellings.

Four kittens were also found there and were later collected by the SPCA.

“The valuables were removed and handed in at Norkem Police Station. The drugs were destroyed and the owners of the driver’s licences were traced. It turned out they were recently robbed.”

It was also found that there were people running a vegetable business from vegetables grown in the wetlands.