Parktown forgotten, say residents
Parktown is a forgotten part of its ward with little development or maintenance and an increase in thefts and armed robberies, say residents.
The area, which together with Heideveld and parts of Gugulethu, has been part of Ward 44 since December 2020, when ward boundaries changed.
A group of residents who spoke to Athlone News about problems in the neighbourhood say they have called on their ward councillor, Anthony Moses, to support their calls for a fence along Klipfontein Road, which they hope will keep criminals out of the area.
Mr Moses said he was “looking into the possibility of fencing along Klipfontein Road in the future, if the budget will allow it”.
Resident Keith Lewis said criminals used Parktown as a thoroughfare.
“The criminals run from Klipfontein Road or Jakes Gerwel Drive through our area to get away. Our other concern is also the scrapyard. Since it opened, there have also been a lot of break-ins and thefts. It’s a legitimate business, but it attracts the wrong elements,” he said.
Athlone SAPS spokesperson Sergeant Zita Norman said they were patrolling all areas in the precinct, and she urged residents to report crime.
“We can’t do anything about crime if we do not know it is happening. When crime is reported, then we know what and where the challenges are. I can’t say crime escalated if I don’t have the statistics to prove that. Therefore we urge the community to report crime.
“On the matter of scrapyards, sometimes it is the complainant’s own family who steal from their homes to sell. We also cannot recover stolen goods if it was not reported to the police.”
Part of Parktown is bordered by Klipfontein Road and Jakes Gerwel Drive, but on both sides there are fields. This part is also used for illegal dumping, according to the residents.
Last week the group cleaned up and painted play equipment at one of the parks.
“People dump their rubble here on the corner near our homes, and this causes illnesses. We decided to clean and paint the park’s play equipment ourselves. The City of Cape Town provided us with the resources to do so,” said resident Dennis Stander.
“We are the smallest community in the ward, and we feel that we are not seen. We don’t carry the numbers and maybe therefore are considered less important. However, we are willing to work in our community; we just need the support from the council with the resources.”
Nick Jacobs, another resident, said a sewage plant on the field wasn’t working after it had been vandalised repeatedly.
“There is a small substation next to the sewage plant that has been stripped completely. When we complain about it, the only feedback we get is that it is ‘noted’,” he said.
The residents also complained about faulty street lights as well as trees that needed trimming and grass that needed cutting.
Rahgeema Mitchell, a former resident whose family still live in the area, said she had asked for a public meeting with Mr Moses to discuss their concerns, but he “did not honour” the request.
Mr Moses said he believed that walking through the area and meeting the residents was a better way to hear about problems than at a meeting.
“At meetings, it’s to-and-fro, and nothing is resolved. I walk through the area at least once every three months, and residents point out their concerns to me. What the residents must understand is that they cannot expect matters to be resolved if they have not logged a complaint with the City. I am also on the community’s WhatsApp group, so I get the complaints. However, some of the residents are rude on that platform,” he said.
He added that the grass cutting and tree trimming were on the City’s schedule, and he had asked for the faulty street lights to be replaced with LEDs.
He said the parks in Anthony and Lenaria roads had been upgraded and future upgrades were planned for the parks in Snapdragon and Primrose roads.
“There are a number of things we can do better, because there are always challenges when it comes to service delivery, but Parktown is not neglected,” Mr Moses said.
