SPOTLIGHT: Is Phola Park a criminal hub?

MUSHROOMING informal settlements on the Bluff are a cause for concern.

Tucked in the bushes on Tara Road, Club Drive and surrounding areas, it is clear that many people have fallen on hard times and are staying in the bush as a last resort.

It is also believed to have a correlation to the spike in crime. During a recent walkabout with the Bluff Community Policing Forum (CPF) and Andora Road Neighbourhood Watch, it was evident that many people seem to hide in Phola Park after alleged criminal activities.

CPF chairperson, Andy Rossell, said the government urgently needed to sort out accommodation issues on the Bluff.

“It is not up to residents to sort this out,” he said. “Criminals apparently break into houses and run towards the vicinity of Phola Park.”

As the chairperson of eight years, Rossell, who has been in contact with the residents, said some of them have been there for longer than that.

“The CPF has to manage the issue of crime because if we don’t, we are going to have serious implications and problems. Unfortunately, the community is struggling financially.”

He called on the community to assist in whatever way possible with the installation of more Snipr cameras.

“It costs about R30 000 each and we have four up at the moment. It has really proved successful and we’ve managed to catch a lot of crooks coming in and exiting our suburb. We need about 10 more cameras,” he added.

Ward 66 councillor, Zoë Solomon, said as the former vulnerable groups’ chairperson, she put a lot of effort in formalising the 20 dwellings in Phola Park. She said at one point, the growth increased exponentially that even the residents were unhappy about it.

“The housing department said only 20 shacks, that were registered on the original list, were allowed. They gave me between 24 to 48 hours to formalise the database. I had to compile a list of the residents, their ID and shack numbers. The additional shacks were cleared by the Land Invasion Department. We had no idea how many people invaded the area. It was absolute pandemonium,” she said.

“I can understand why residents don’t want vagrants around.”

Solomon said that she, and the housing department, now have a list of residents who are allowed to reside there.

“We made it possible to identify actual residents. Singling out the settlement is unjust. The fact of the matter is that there is a crime issue on the Bluff.”

“There are people in Phola Park who keep in constant contact, this means that I am aware of what is happening at all times. These people are proactive in the area and are trying to just live their lives,” she said.

Phola Park resident, Kgamelo Sefadi, said the crime spike in the area started during hard lockdown last year. He said this was due to the periodic closing of the DSW Garden Refuse Site on Tara Road.

“People started dumping outside the site. This attracted vagrants and even criminals who scavenged in the rubbish, looking for items they could reuse or sell.”

“Some of them erected dwellings in the bush as a way to stay closer to the refuse site. They also started hanging around nearby malls begging for food or money.”

“Some used their profits to feed their drug habits. When the CPF came here, they found new shacks illegally built and mobilised the councillor to get them removed.”

“However, there are no extra people here. We’re still 20 households as was registered with the councillor and housing department,” he said.

The media liaison officer from the office of the MEC for Human Settlements and Public Works, Mbulelo Baloyi, said his department was not aware of the informal structures.

“We would have been aware of the land on which they have been squatting belongs to the department,” he said.

“This falls under land invasion or trespassing. The onus is on the landowner to seek court relief through an eviction notice. It is usually granted by a court of law in the event that someone has illegally occupied your vacant land and set up a structure.”

“This eviction is normally carried out by a sheriff of the court. However, such eviction must conform with the prescripts of the Prevention of Illegal Eviction Act popularly known as PIE Act,” said Baloyi.

He advised that all forms of land invasion and encroachment on private or municipal-owned land have to be reported to the owners.

“In the event of eThekwini Municipality, they have to contact the Land Invasion Unit under Security Management on 031-311-1111 and with respect to privately owned land, residents have to locate the owner of the land to alert them,” he added.

The CPF has a 24-hour dedicated crime reporting call centre. The line is for ward 66 residents, whether you are a member of CPF, or not, call 076-013-0249.

A comment from the municipality was not forthcoming at the time of publication.