I note Snowy Mbatha’s letter, We do need boom gates, week ending 21 November.
Anyone can build and close off a private complex, but arbitrary closing off of public roads is both illegal and selfish.
The vast majority of people live on roads where this cannot be done.
If people live in a road that can be closed off they are welcome to do what is done in many overseas
countries; that is, ask for permission to privatise the road and put up a gate and employ all the guards they want, provided that the residents buy the road from the city and pay the capital costs, and bear the maintenance and lighting costs themselves.
The argument of self-protection that Mbatha puts up applies to everyone and, if taken to its logical conclusion, would mean that for protection, everyone could close off the block they live in, including say Oxford Road and Jan Smuts Avenue, and let cars through only after inspection and perhaps a body search.
However, people need to get to and from work.
The answer to safety lies elsewhere. Perhaps Mbatha should speak to the minister of police.
