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- Residents are calling for the removal of several concrete bus shelters along the Klipfontein Road, saying it is a breeding ground for antisocial behaviour.
- Defecation and urination, prostitution and vagrancy and the cleaning of stolen wiring to exchange at the nearby scrapyard are all problems now facing the community, residents claim.
- These have been a problem for at least five years.
- But resident’s calls have not gone unnoticed, says the City of Cape Town.
Residents along Klipfontein Road are calling for the removal of several concrete bus shelters adjacent to the road, which they say are a breeding ground for antisocial behaviour.
Longtime resident, Ronald Smith says something must be done with urgency. “This is a beautiful community and this is starting to breed contempt,” he says.
“Our children come out of school and people are sitting at the bus stops doing drugs.”
Defecation and urination, prostitution and vagrancy and the cleaning of stolen wiring to exchange at the nearby scrapyard are all problems now facing the community, he continues.
“No one is using the bus stops anymore. It was first put up for the right reasons – to serve the community, but now it is no longer serving the community,” he says.
Smith has a signed petition from residents and organisations calling for the removals with no request for replacements.
Enver Solomons, Clover Crescent Block Watch chair, situated in the adjacent community, agrees.
“Drug use, vagrancy, prostitution and drug peddling occur on a daily basis in the bus shelters,” he says. “Schoolkids and other members of the public witness these illicit activities daily.”
These have been a problem for at least five years. “It got worse with covid, and also, if gang activity has increased in other nearby areas they tend to spread to here in the Klipfontein corridor.”
On a visit to the shelters, needles were among the waste dumped at the sites. There were also remains of burnt cables and what appeared to be drug packaging. Amid the loadshedding, cable theft and robberies have also increased, with the shelters offering cover for the thieves, says Smith.
But resident’s calls have not gone unnoticed, says the City of Cape Town.
Mayco Member for urban mobility Rob Quintas confirms Ward 46 and 49 councillors Aslam Cassiem and Rashid Adams have submitted official requests for the removal of several shelters along the corridor for similar reasons.
Smith says they are aware of the decision to remove these shelters but are now concerned about the timeline. Shelters on the opposite side of the road have already been removed.
Cassiem says: “Requests and complaints from residents and users have called for its removal. It became a haven for people living on the streets and became inaccessible for commuters. It was also becoming derelict because of fires and destruction, ie individuals collecting scrap were burning and breaking down recyclable items at the bus shelters.”
He has also asked that alternative structures be investigated.
Adams says the request was made for the removal of around 15 shelters along Klipfontein Road.
“This is going to take some co-ordination between (several departments). An official has been appointed and we are in consultation with him in terms of progress,” he says.
Quintas says: “The City’s Urban Mobility Directorate was requested to undertake a needs assessment with regard to commuter use of public transport bus shelters along Klipfontein Road, which are now largely occupied by homeless people on a regular basis. This confirmed the widespread belief that the shelters were not being used by commuters. Due to the various social ills taking place in the shelters on Klipfontein Road it was decided the best decision would be to remove them if commuters were not using them.”
Solomons said his watch group had increased their patrols in the vicinity, with no input or assistance from law-enforcement agencies.
Athlone police spokesperson, Srg Zita Norman says they note the concern around the criminality at these shelters.
“The Athlone Crime Prevention unit, shifts and crime intelligence are deployed according to the crime pattern analysis. We are doing interventions to reduce the incidents that are recurring. It is noted from our side that interventions [have] been enforced to reduce such instances and we also recommend that people affected by these crimes come and lay charges so that we can bring the perpetrators to justice.”
But Smith says visibility from police is almost non-existent, with much of the burden falling to residents and crime volunteers.
Solomons agrees. “Residents bear the brunt of abuse from these criminal elements,” Solomons pointed out.
“Crime is high, with car break-ins, robberies of schoolkids and gang activity. However, many times victims don’t open cases as they feel the justice system fails them; time and time again residents remove drug users in the Klipfontein corridor from Hickory to Blossom Street.”
Quintas says although a decision had been made to remove these structures an exact timeline was unavailable.
“We are in the process of formulating a report to council for the assets to be removed,” he says. “Timelines can be communicated only once the report has been approved by the council.”
Some of the main concerns raised with the City in an official capacity [are] the unsanitary environment (the shelters are being used as toilets), the vandalism in the area, robberies and theft.
As much as there is frustration about the slow progress of these removals, Quintas urges patience.
“Residents are not able to remove these themselves as these shelters are City of Cape Town assets. A report has to be approved by the council to write any assets off.”
The intention is to remove all the shelters, however lengthy the process.
