Business owners in Athlone Industria’s Hadji Ebrahim Crescent have held several meetings to establish a business forum, so that they can collectively tackle crime.
Frustrated about crime, business owners in Athlone Industria’s Hadji Ebrahim Crescent are banding together as a business forum to tackle the problem.
They have already had several meetings with stakeholders, including officials from the City Improvement District (CID). The first meeting took place on Tuesday July 26.
A steering committee is expected to be appointed this week, and the Hadji Ebrahim Business Forum, as it will be known, should be registered within the next three months, according to Sulaiman Fredericks, who is a member of the Lochiel Neighbourhood Watch and has been appointed to co-ordinate efforts to get the forum off the ground.
The economic value that the businesses delivered to the surrounding communities was at risk because more than 1 000 people would be left unemployed if the businesses closed down, said Mr Fredericks.
The businesses say the street lights in the area are too dim and they want the City to install floodlights. They also want the canal near their businesses fenced and CCTV cameras installed.
Criminals are preying on both staff and customers and it’s hurting business, they say.
The owners have already met with the police, the Athlone Community Police Forum, ward councillor Aslam Cassiem, representatives from the informal settlement and the Lochiel Estate Neighbourhood Watch.
Naushad Khan, the owner of a clothing store in the area, said the safety of his customers and staff was paramount.
“We are all up to our neck with issues. We’ve had these challenges over the years, but it’s at its worst now. Almost every day, we have break-ins and about three-to-four robberies a week.
“These challenges are stopping businesses from making new investments. We are trying our best to resolve this, and that is why we are establishing the forum.”
Nasser Allie, who owns Nasrie Auto Electric, said the situation was hurting his pocket and causing him a lot of stress.
“I have a higher level of anxiety. When I hear a loud bang, then I think it’s gunshots. Just over this past weekend, there was heavy gunfire in the vicinity, as there were gang wars from the Vlei area (Vygieskraal informal settlement) to the Hadji Ebrahim informal settlement.
“We are under siege as businesses. We had various meetings, and have requested fencing from Mr Cassiem, as the criminals use the canals as thoroughfares after committing a crime. Some people are too scared to open criminal cases. We need patrols from all law-enforcement agencies.”
Zahier Fredericks, the owner of Royal Auto Trimmers, said his clients came from all over the city and many did not know the area well.
“My clients deliver their vehicles and then call an Uber to fetch them. I can’t tell them not to wait outside because of safety concerns because I might lose their business, so I rather wait with them outside until their transport arrives. We are now forced to spend more money on security measures.”
Businesses needed to mount a coordinated response to the problems, he said.
“I have met with individual business owners before, and the one’s vision is not the same as the other, so there might be some to-and-fro. With a structure in place, there is a united front in dealing with the issues.”
Aisha Olyn, a community leader at Hadji Ebrahim informal settlement, said they wanted to “live in peace and safety”, but criminals preyed on their community too.
“Some of these criminals run through our community. It is not people from our area who are robbing the people - it is outsiders who use the informal settlement area as a short cut or a way to hide. They traumatise us and our children when they run through here. Some of us don’t even want to call the police any longer because they either take very long to respond or they don’t respond at all. So we’ve lost our faith in them.”
Both Athlone SAPS and the Athlone CPF welcomed the formation of a business forum.
Pat O’Connor, the CPF’s spokesperson, said they would support the businesses in whatever way they could.
Sergeant Zita Norman, Athlone SAPS spokesperson, urged people to report crime.
“Not reporting a criminal case does not help. We analyse crime patterns, and this is why it is so important to report all crimes. Complaints about police not following up can be made by calling our charge office directly, on 021 697 9238 or 021 697 9239.”