Africa-Press – South-Africa. Residents in Eldorado Park are up in arms about the high levels of crime in the area.
“Eldorado Park is in a state of disaster, with the high levels of crime,” said the local ward councillor, Dwain Ponsonby.
Ponsonby has been at the forefront of action which has seen residents camp outside the police station, and calling for urgent intervention.
Residents have been camped outside the police station since last week Monday.
According to Ponsonby, at least 19 shooting incidents had been reported as well as seven murders.
“The crime is out of control, and people are living lawlessly. Law enforcement in the area is dead. They are in the area, but they are not deployed accordingly to execute arrests. It is clear that policing is a problem.
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“Joint operations are not active in the area, so police come in not knowing what to do. Police should deal with this with an integrated approach,” Ponsonby said.
“We also need the National Prosecuting Authority because these guys [criminals] are arrested, and the next day they are out. We also need home affairs and social development to come on board because if we don’t deal with this holistically, we will not win this war.”
The mayor of Joburg, Mpho Phalatse, assured Eldorado Park residents that their concerns were being addressed.
Phalatse said that, when she was made aware of the surge in shootings and criminal activities, the MMC for Public Safety, David Tembe, was deployed to engage with the community.
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She said a decision was made to dispatch additional Joburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) resources, including officers and specialised units.
Phalatse said officials from her office had a meeting with community leaders on Wednesday.
“Further to this, the offices of the Acting City Manager and Chief Operations Officer have been tasked with urgently assisting in compiling a response to issues that fall within the City’s mandate.
“We assure the community that there is work being done. It is my intention to convene a meeting with the community to outline how we can work together to improve on what is being done and to repair and rebuild Eldorado Park.
“There are many other issues that fall outside the City’s local government authority. Indeed, the call for an integrated approach has not gone unheard.
“I have written letters to the premier and the president’s respective offices, requesting their assistance in addressing the myriad of issues that plague Eldorado Park and other communities,” she said.
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