Plans to formalise Sunnyside car guards underway
“Under the project, the car guards are therefore going to be vetted and allocated to specific parking zones where they are going to operate.”
Sunnyside councillor Mpho Lewele, together with the Sunnyside CPF and other stakeholders, are working on formalising the car guard services in the Sunnyside.
At the moment, the car guard services are offered by mostly homeless people, some of whom are addicted to drugs.
The lack of proper control of the guards is a problem for motorists who often fall victim to crime in the area.
“The formalisation of the car guard business is an important exercise to reduce motor vehicle-related crimes such as theft out of motor vehicles and theft of motor vehicles,” councillor Lewele told Record.
He said the car guards needed to be honest people without any criminal records.
“Under the project, the car guards are therefore going to be vetted and allocated to specific parking zones where they are going to operate.”
He said car guards will be given name tags and bibs for the community to easily identify them.
“The guards are going to assist us in terms of making sure that there is order in the parking bays.
“This initiative is only possible when the car guards are properly managed.”
He said this was important not only for crime reduction and making the area safer for residents and visitors, but to boost business confidence in the area.
“When an area has a bad reputation because of crime, people tend to avoid it. This harms businesses as they need customers to buy their products and services to stay sustainable,” he said.
“Most people are not comfortable coming to Sunnyside because of the high levels of crime in the area.”
Sunnyside police spokesperson Captain Daniel Mavimbela confirmed they were working with the councillor and other relevant stakeholders such as the Inner City Business Council and Sunnyside CPF.
“We believe that, jointly, we will be able to reduce crime in the area. Concerning car guards, this will include reduction of motor vehicle-related crimes,” Mavimbela said.
Sunnyside CPF chairperson Sandile Dube said they were excited that the ward councillor was bringing them on board.
He welcomed the councillor’s dedication and interest in revitalising the business forum and playing a role in the fight against crime.
“We support the ward councillor’s programme.”
He said it was important that car guards should form part of the CPF through its community patrol programme to increase the level of effectiveness in assisting police and fighting against crime in the neighbourhood.
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