Drugs and untidiness can jeopardise existing and potential businesses
ROSEBANK – Rosebank is an upmarket and a meeting point area which has had a considerable amount of investment capital poured into it, but in dismay, it also attracts far too many homeless people and criminals without a clear strategy to eradicate this.
Drug addicts and drug dealers, loitering vagrants and criminals waiting to attack soft targets, surround the streets of Rosebank, leaving business owners and investors calling for urgent intervention from the council and the police.
Moved by the fear of urban degeneration, investors and real estate agents are left wondering whether Rosebank is worth any future investment. Anton Gillis, CEO of a private property fund is unhappy with the service delivery from the Democratic Alliance (DA) and the police.
“Rosebank is no longer safe to walk the streets after hours – this is contrary to the vision of Rosebank. As investors and business operators, we can no longer sit back and watch the DA and the government jeopardise and prejudice our investments. We need to be more vocal about our dissatisfaction,” said Gillis.
One of the concerns is that without the Community Improvement District (CID), the Rosebank node will perish as it relies on donations from local companies and residents.
“The CID has the difficult task of having to bridge the shortfall in service delivery between the City of Johannesburg and that of the local businesses and residents’ expectations,” Gillis added.
The Rosebank police had previously admitted in a report that its area faces drug problems, with the Rosebank Public Library described as being a hotspot. However, although the police are said to be successfully arresting drug dealers and users, the perpetrators are released, scot-free, the following day.
In contrast, Rosebank police spokesperson, Sergeant Bongi Mdletshe believes his police station is trying its best to eradicate drug activities at the EWJ Public Park in Keyes Avenue by performing regular raids.
“Whenever we find dealers, we don’t even give them a chance to apply for bail but we cannot ignore the fact that everyone has a right to apply for bail. We send them to court immediately but the justice system then takes its course. You are innocent until proven guilty. So we make an arrest but what happens after we send a perpetrator to court, the matter is out of our hands,” said Mdletshe.
A source known to the Rosebank Killarney Gazette confirmed he had seen drugs being sold in public view and that, when it comes to the police, all hope is lost.
“We as the SAPS are responsible for protecting our community. So if anyone notices that a policeman from our station works with the dealers, they should provide us with details and proof so that we can launch an investigation,” Mdletshe concluded.
Local business owners have said they have been unlucky in getting their concerns across to their ward councillor, Tim Truluck. Every day, while driving around Rosebank, they see it’s not as attractive as they had hoped and this defeats the purpose of attracting potential investments.
Ward 117 councillor, Tim Truluck confirmed that the park in question has been problematic for a long time. “The drug problem has been there for years and there have been many attempts to sort it out in the past. All have some effect, but usually, the dealers just move to a new location and wait for the pressure to reduce before moving back.
“The problem will probably resolve itself as the Lower Rosebank area develops with new parks, more residential developments and the nightclubs moving out of the area.”
With property values so high, Truluck added that there will be new parks as part of the Rosebank Crosswalk Project and hopes that in a few years, investors’ frustrations will be put to bed.
Are you one of the people who have a problem with the park in Rosebank? Send your story to koketsor@caxton.co.za
Also check out:
https://www.citizen.co.za/rosebank-killarney-gazette/230254/investment-options-low-income-earners/
