A tunnel in Lyttelton has become a nightmare for residents, since it continues to be the playground of vagrants and criminals despite their best efforts at fixing the problem. Just a few weeks after the tunnel, which runs under the railway line to Botha Avenue, was cleaned, it is again a mess. The clean-up crew of Ward 79 councillor, Vickey Bosch, and local residents said they had lost hope of living in a clean and safe environment. According to some, not only is the tunnel posing a health hazard, it is also unsafe for those who live nearby, as the tunnel is now a hub for criminals.
Resident Amanda Vos is especially worried about the criminal activities taking place in the tunnel, especially muggings. “We are really concerned, not only about the cleanliness but also about the safety of the people who pass through this tunnel on a daily basis. I recently witnessed an incident where a man was mugged. It was in the morning at around 08:00. I heard a loud bang, and when I went out to check what was going on, I saw that a man had been mugged,” explained Vos.
“This is really getting out of hand and I think the solution will be for the place to be cleaned and monitored every week. Maybe a rotating gate should be put. This way, criminals will not be able to run through easily and also a light should be installed, because it’s too dark and it’s even scarier in the evening,” she said.
Residents further explained that vagrants took shelter and urinated in this area, and said that a permanent solution to the problem needed to be found. Councillor Bosch said she had again taken the matter up with the waste management department and that since the tunnel could not be sealed off to prevent vagrants from using it as a toilet, she was assured by the officials that they would clean it on a regular basis.
The chairperson of the Lyttelton SAPS Sector 2 Community Policing Forum, Lourens Botha, previously suggested that the area be patrolled in order to ensure that vagrants do not stay in the tunnel. He added that cleaning should be done on a regular basis so that nearby residents could live in a clean, safe environment. Warrant Officer Hero Gumbu said members of the public should be alert at all times, as criminals are opportunistic and would take advantage of mugging people in dark areas such as tunnels. He urged the public to come forward to report any criminal activities that occur at or in the tunnel.
