Gardens Security and Safety
Dear Mr Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis, and Ward Councillors Francine Higham and Ian Mac Mahon,
We, the undersigned residents and neighbours of Lower Gardens, urgently request you to address the ongoing social issues caused by squatter camps in our area. Specifically, we are concerned about the squatter camps located in the following areas:
- Maynard and Mill Street Corner/bridge of Mill Street,
- Buitenkant Street, the entire length of,
- Glynn Street,
- Wesley Street,
- Tuin Plein.
We are a diverse and close community of elderly persons, working professionals, students, and many families with young children. The presence and increase of these squatter camps has led to a deterioration in our quality of life in Gardens. It has become unsafe, unsettling and unpleasant to live here.
We face constant harassment, emotional and verbal aggression, and are subjected to various illegal and unsanitary activities, including open-air nudity, defecation, public masturbation, verbal aggression; daily theft, muggings, robberies, property break-ins and abuse; open alcohol and drug-dealing and -use; and continuous monitoring of our homes. The squatter camps have created unacceptable noise disturbances and violence (especially at night), unsanitary conditions and unsightly filth on our streets; and have brought other illegal activities and gangs into our neighborhood.
As residents who contribute significantly to the city's revenue through high-level rates, we cannot fully benefit from the services provided by the city. We feel unsafe in our own homes, and to walk to the nearby Gardens Centre or shops, enjoy our parks, or park our cars in the street.
We have been enduring this situation for years, and despite our efforts to contain the onslaught to our personal safety, peace of mind and property, the situation has persisted. We now need to consider filing for a protection order against these individuals who continue to disrupt our peace and violate our rights, as well as contacting the media to publicise the issue we face as a community. We feel unsupported by the authorities - some of us are being directly threatened with violence when we express our concerns to individual squatters on unacceptable conduct, and despite reporting this, the police and law enforcement officers can’t seem to act before a crime is committed.
Furthermore, we are dissatisfied that we are paying high rates in an area that feels like it has been abandoned. As a community, we have been active for years through neighborhood groups; reporting a multitude of incidents to the police (SAPS) and Law Enforcement; collaborating with armed response patrols; contacting social development and several NGOs to work with homeless people; and forming a neighbourhood group to pay for additional cleaning services around their camps.
We have had enough. We now feel compelled to demand that the city council, provincial government and relevant authorities take immediate action to remove the squatter camps from our neighbourhood and relocate these groups to suitable shelters and places of safety. We feel the city should be holding the provincial government accountable for the lack of delivery in terms of social services for the homeless.
We demand that you take material measures to ensure that camps cannot be re-established, such as fencing off of areas that have historically been accessible for setting up camps. This includes recreational spaces set up for our children and youth like the Mill St Skate Park and the opposite field. Please note that our community has requested for this intervention in the budget allocation for our Ward in 2024.
We further demand an increase of Law Enforcement visibility in our area to safeguard residents; and monitor all spaces to make it difficult for squatters to settle with immediate effect.
While we understand the legal constraints that the city is tackling and the challenges of related administrative processes, we believe that as residents, we have the right to live in a safe and peaceful environment. It is the responsibility of the city to protect the well-being of all its citizens, including its ratepayers.
We appreciate your attention to this urgent matter and look forward to a swift written response within one week on your actions to address this problem as a priority.
Sincerely,
- Lower Gardens Neighbors & Property Owners