'Decades of broken promises': Eldorado Park community demands government action

Frustration echoed through the Eldorado Park community hall in Johannesburg during an imbizo on Friday as residents from surrounding areas, including Freedom Park and Slovo Park, voiced concerns about crime and the lack of police resources.

The police ministry, led by deputy minister Cassel Mathale with other stakeholders, held the imbizo to create a platform for interaction between the police leadership and communities in the area.

Residents criticised law enforcement agencies for neglecting their duties, highlighting years of unfulfilled promises, inadequate police presence and a justice system that continues to fail them.

From broken promises of CCTV cameras to community patrollers risking their lives without support, residents called for immediate, tangible action, warning they were “sitting on a time bomb”.

Community member Vincent Naidoo complained about unfulfilled promises.

“We, as the people of this community, need to stand up for our rights. When I came in I saw all the resources here because of your prominent visitors. But when you go to the [police] station here and complain, there are no resources, so why can they make resources available for one person?

“Why can't they make resources available to us? We are sitting on a time bomb. These people don't care about us. The people at the police station don't respect us,” he said.

A resident of Freedom Park, Erick Mzizi, said: “I'm here as a concerned community member of Freedom Park. Freedom Park is being served under Eldorado Park with one police van .”

He asked about the promise to build a satellite police station for the community.

Another resident, Berlin Mbege, said they had been trying to fight crime.

“But it can't be done alone. We cannot only have our patrollers who risk their lives and I'm talking about our ground patrollers, the people who do not get paid.”

Mbege asked that government look into the community policing structures.

Chanel George, a resident and activist, said: “This is not the first engagement we are having with the hierarchy of SAPS. It's not the first imbizo. In previous engagements with the premier [Panyaza Lesufi] we were promised drones and CCTV cameras and all of these things. I think the number of people you see in the hall today is indicative of what the community is feeling.”

They were tired of empty promises.

“So I hope today's [Friday] engagement leaves us with some tangible results. In the previous engagements we have offered proposed solutions. We live with the gunshots, the violence.”

She called for intelligence-driven operations 

“Don't come in like a tsunami and raid and a day later, it's business as usual. Get the relevant information from the people who know, because there are people who know, but the people who know will only talk if they are guaranteed protection.”

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