Clinic and library bear brunt of vandalism spree on Cape Flats

28 April 2017 - 14:54 By TMG Digital
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A Cape Flats clinic will reopen on Friday after gang turf wars forced it to close its doors temporarily.
A Cape Flats clinic will reopen on Friday after gang turf wars forced it to close its doors temporarily.
Image: Google Maps

A total of 21 insurance claims have been submitted since July after vandalism at just two City of Cape Town properties — Nyanga clinic and Delft library.

But the situation is improving‚ mayoral committee member JP Smith said on Friday.

“City Health has submitted 60 claims between July 2016 and 7 April 2017 at 31 facilities‚ totalling just under R400 000. During the same period last year‚ the department submitted 104 claims for over R750 000‚” he said.

The libraries department had submitted 58 claims‚ compared with 115 in 2015/16 and 208 in 2014/15.

Smith said part of the improvement was the result of a pilot project in Nyanga and Gugulethu‚ where 50 neighbourhood watch members and eight auxiliary law enforcement officers had been employed as guards.

“This initiative creates a visible presence around high-risk facilities and the people employed know the area well and have a vested interest in safeguarding their communities‚” he said.

“The project is achieving amazing results‚ with not a single facility vandalised in this area since the start.

“Staff at the Gugulethu Sports Complex told me that the deployment of the facility protection officers has completely changed the atmosphere at the venue and their focus can now be on running programmes with the youth and not looking over their shoulder at the front door to see whether criminals are sneaking in.”

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