HECTORSPRUIT – With the alarming increase in crime in this community, community members have resorted to setting up a patrol team to guard the streets at night.
This came to light on Monday evening during a planned feedback meeting between the community, the SAPS, and the Nkomazi Municipality on steps taken by the municipality to reopen the local police station.
A mutual concern which arose among attendees was that of how safe they were.
Residents elected community members who would patrol every street at different hours of the night. Signed petitions calling for the reopening of the local police station have been sent to the provincial commissioner of the SAPS and the provincial MEC for community safety, security and liaison.
The spokesman for the municipality, Mr Cyril Ripinga, confirmed that both offices have acknowledged reception of the signed petitions.
“The office of the provincial commissioner of the SAPS and that of the MEC of community safety, security and liaison, have confirmed that they have received the signed petitions and they will be responding soon. As we speak the executive mayor of Nkomazi is engaged in talks with the premier in a bid to get the police station reopened,” Ripinga explained.
Members of the SAPS speaking at the gathering have urged the patrol team to be consistent in their patrols, and to do so even when it becomes quiet.
However, the SAPS warned that it would be dangerous for patrol team members to stop patrolling because of a decline in criminal activity.
Ripinga said the municipality together with the SAPS would monitor the patrol team, and it would hold monthly meetings with the community until the police station was reopened.
Ripinga furthermore added as a municipality they upheld a proposal made by the community to maintain vacant property stands and bill the owners for the service.
According to Ripinga legal notices had been sent to vacant property stand owners, informing them that they would be billed for maintenance done by the municipality on their stands while they stand vacant.
“The municipality will be maintaining vacant stands by cutting grass which made hiding very easy for perpetrators. We will then be billing the vacant property owner for this service. We will however, be checking which stands have been vacant for longer than the stipulated period of two years, in which you are expect to build within. Because if a stand is older than two years and is still vacant, the owner is in direct violation of the property policy,” Ripinga added. At the time of going to press Corridor Gazette had not yet been informed of the outcome of the meeting between the executive mayor of Nkomazi and the premier.
