Cape Town - Tired of being held hostage in their own community, Matroosfontein residents told Prasa and the City of Cape Town to take ownership of their properties and beef up security.
These residents say that criminals take advantage of the neglected section of the railway side in their community to commit crimes – hiding in the overgrown grass, preying on pedestrians, motorists and homes.
The residents want a concrete wall to be erected, and the grass to be cut on and around the railway line at the back of their neighbourhood to minimise free access to criminals.
"We have had this problem for a long time, and in the past three years we've written petitions asking for solutions and we made it clear that a wall is what's needed to stop this madness.
“Criminals hide in the rails or even worse the grass at the back, waiting for people to rob and they run across the railway to Bishop Lavis side. We have also had housebreakings and murders in the vicinity and we don't want this to escalate any further," said Matroosfontein Neighbourhood Watch (NHW) coordinator, Eugene Hess.
He said the NHW is doing its utmost best to improve safety, including taking up house calls for minor maintenance to prevent strangers accessing homes to be broken into.
A resident, Hilton Titus lives on the corner of Civic Road and Emms Way and is at the centre of it all.
"I witness these incidents and my house has been targeted and even gets stoned by culprits hiding in the bushes. It's hard raising children in this environment and we want the officials to do what's right. We can't be held hostage in our own community," he said.
The Elsies River Community Policing Forum sector chairperson, Thurston Cooper said the situation is getting out of hand and all parties, including police, need to play a role.
"While Prasa and the City of Cape Town are responsible for securing and servicing that piece of land, police, too, need to do their job. We need visibility and arrests on the reported cases. A word-of-mouth isn't enough, we want action, we want to see police and Prasa security personnel protecting us,“ he said.
Mayco member for community services and health, Patricia van der Ross, said: "Recreation and Parks is working closely with City’s Law Enforcement Department to help mitigate crime in public open spaces.
"The City has started mowing the greenbelts this past week and attempted to mow a fire break at Emms Way, as well. However, the amount of debris and dumping on the site made it difficult to mow. The department has now placed the public open space on the priority list and will be attended to once all supply chain processes have been finalised."
Police spokesperson, Warrant Officer Joseph Swartbooi said: "The community members are encouraged to report criminal activities in their neighbourhood for further investigation. The management of Elsies River SAPS is the platform to use when requesting for more visibility."
Prasa spokesperson, Zinobulali Mihi said their Protection Services department is not aware of the issues raised, and that Prasa does not provide access for communities to cross over the railway line in between the stations.
"We currently have patrols in the area. The walling project is part of Prasa’s plans to maximise security in our rail network. We cannot fight the scourge of crime alone, we need law enforcement agencies to also collaborate with us in our efforts to fight crime. We have a very good working relationship with SAPS in the area. Working together with communities is key,“ she said.
Mihi further explained: "Currently the maintenance programme is halted in Central for safety reasons. However, all Central Line track work will be rehabilitated as part of the Central Line Recovery Programme, which will be inclusive of the cleaning of the railway reserve. Prasa Corporate Real Estate Solutions (Prasa Cres), has cleaning contractors that clean the stations. Their cleaning covers 200-metres from each end of the platform."