Residents of Roworth Place and Lyon Street say they are tired of having to take additional measures to safeguard their homes from criminals who use the Hamberg Dam Park as an entry point or escape route.

According to Nadia Jardine, a resident of Mandarin Place in Lyon Street, the neighbourhood is being targeted by criminals.

“We’ve had two break-ins within days of each other, numerous attempts at cable theft, unsavoury characters who hang around at all hours of the night, and lately, vagrants that have taken up residence among the tall overgrowth at the dam.

“The gates at Hamberg Dam used to be locked at night and opened in the morning.

“The gate in Roworth Place has been completely removed by Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo (JCPZ), and two other recently installed gates have been stolen, meaning the grounds are accessible to anyone 24/7.

“While we agree that the park is a public space, the reality is that this situation leaves residents vulnerable.”

Gwen Valentine, a resident of Millard Place in Roworth Place, agrees.

“We can see movement throughout the night on the complex’s CCTV cameras.

“We’ve had to plant concrete blocks along the palisade fence on our western border because intruders would dig under the fence to gain access to the complex.

“This is not a reasonable security measure. It is a desperate one.”

At the Roodepoort Record’s visit to the Hamberg Dam Park on July 29, a group of residents pointed out a number of concerns, including the badly vandalised building that once served as a lapa and ablution facilities.

Upon closer inspection, it was clear that the ablution facilities are no longer usable and are regularly utilised as shelter by vagrants.

“People came in here in the middle of the night and stole the zink roof from the building,” says Mandarin Place caretaker Lionell Colyn, who adds that they are in the process of raising funds to remove a structure at Mandarin Place to stop would-be criminals from using it to access the complex.

The residents say efforts at raising their concerns with JCPZ have thus far come to nothing.

“We’ve stopped reporting to the entities because they don’t respond anyway. We’ve taken to calling our private security providers.”

The Record approached JCPZ for comment on Thursday, July 30, and was informed on the same day by spokesperson Jenny Moodley that the matter has been referred to both the JCPZ operations team and Johannesburg Road Agency, since Hamberg Dam is a stormwater catchment, and that answers will be forthcoming once both teams have looked into the matter.