Bryanston business steps in to keep Winnie Mandela Drive walkway safe
A local billboard specialist has offered cleaning teams and security guards to help clear an overgrown bridge and deter opportunistic criminals.
Following recent reported robberies and smash-and-grab attacks, Bryanston-based billboard media company Kena Outdoor has pledged to help maintain the pedestrian walkway at the corner of Winnie Mandela Drive and Grosvenor Road.
During a site visit with the Sandton Chronicle and Ward 102 councillor Bea Campbell-Cloete on October 23, Kena Outdoor head of development and infrastructure Daniel Loti said the company will offer cleaning assistance and temporary security support at the site, working alongside Campbell-Cloete and other stakeholders.
Read more: Sandton residents join forces to clean up public spaces
The site visit follows a clean-up conducted on October 15, when municipal teams removed makeshift structures, discarded belongings, and waste from the walkway.
The intervention came after councillors raised concerns about the area during an oversight visit on October 13, following reports of motorists being targeted in smash-and-grab attacks and pedestrians allegedly being robbed at gunpoint.
Clearing vegetation to improve visibility
Campbell-Cloete said the latest visit had highlighted the need to clear vegetation around the bridge to improve visibility and reduce spaces where criminals could hide.
She stressed that the clean-up was only the beginning and that sustained maintenance would be needed to prevent the area from becoming overgrown again.
Also read: Sandton CPF Mandela Day clean-up initiative leaves Sandton Police Station spotless
Loti said Kena Outdoor was proud to contribute to efforts to improve safety and the appearance of the area, adding that the company hoped to assist with regular maintenance.
“By cleaning and providing temporary security, it provides us visibility and helps keep the area clean and nice for our clients,” he said.
“We are not just a media company that grabs money out of the community. We also give back to the community to show that we care about the people who stay in this area.”
He added that Kena Outdoor will send a team to clean the area, probably maintaining it monthly to prevent vegetation from becoming overgrown and to keep the bridge clean, saying: “Once the bridge is clean and maintained, it is easier for the community to feel safe.”
Campbell-Cloete welcomed the business’s involvement, saying lasting improvements required cooperation between residents, businesses and the municipality.
“If we are going to clean up areas like this, then we need a whole-of-society approach, whether it is the community coming on board, business coming on board, and then, of course, the politicians coming on board,” she said.
“Coming together and making sure that we can alleviate these problems together, then we all win.”
The latest initiative builds on efforts by the Sandton Community Policing Forum (CPF) and Sandton SAPS to address reported crime along Winnie Mandela Drive.
The CPF has previously urged victims to open police cases and report incidents directly to the forum to help law enforcement identify crime patterns and investigate cases.
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