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Durban residents say efforts to combat crime will not be successful until the issues of vagrants and drugs in the inner city are addressed.
eThekwini municipality has been vocal about its plans to revive the tourism sector this festive season and made it clear that making the inner city safer for locals and tourists is a part of that.
Speaking during a joint media briefing with the Durban Chamber of Commerce and the business community at the Durban City Hall on Thursday, mayor Mxolisi Kaunda said rehabilitating the homeless residents would go a long way in fighting crime.
Kaunda said because homeless people were victims of a number of social ills, the city has launched the Safer Cities Programme to help rehabilitate them.
“Our intervention seeks to curb, among other challenges, the unfortunate habit of destroying our infrastructure — like stealing electricity cables and the vandalism of water valves — with an intention of selling our assets for survival,” he said.
“Because of the magnitude of this behaviour, we have instructed the head of Metro Police, through the city manager, to embark on an aggressive law enforcement operation to root this out. Consequence management will be implemented if this situation does not improve.”
Kaunda also urged communities to play their part, since it is where the homeless come from, and the vandalised infrastructure affected the same communities.
However, residents who live and work in areas with the biggest population of homeless people, said the homeless and drug dealers had taken over some parts of the city and all the city’s efforts would prove futile without addressing the issue of drugs.
When there is an accident at these robots, they are the first on the scene to rob victims of cellphones, money and anything they can sell to buy drugs, and then run to their shelter under the bridge. You can’t touch them once they are there.
— Taxi driver, Sandile Mathenjwa
Umlazi taxi drivers at the KwaMnyandu taxi rank on the corner of Maydon Road and Leo Boyd highway, next to Albert Park, said it was a “no-go” area for people walking alone because the homeless practically run it.
“Everyone knows that this is a no-go area. They rob you of your cellphone, women’s weaves are snatched from their heads. When you stop at a traffic light, you make sure no-one in the car is using a cellphone, or at least close all the windows because they will snatch it so fast you won’t believe it,” said a taxi driver who introduced himself only as Mkhonyovu.
Another taxi driver, Sandile Mathenjwa, said even victims of car accidents are not safe.
“When there is an accident at these robots, they are the first on the scene to rob victims of cellphones, money and anything they can sell to buy drugs, and then run to their shelter under the bridge. You can’t touch them once they are there. You would not return if you were to follow them, there are too many of them. Not even the police can do anything once they get there,” he said.
“On Tuesday they stole a policeman’s firearm right there (Leo Boyd highway),” he alleged.
Bongani Madlala, a security guard at Frenoleen, a flat in the Point, South Beach area, shared the same sentiments on drugs and the homeless, suggesting that dealers might be operating in the abandoned buildings.
“The main contributors to crime are vagrants and the people who sell drugs around here. It’s mostly foreigners but the locals are also involved. I can’t say where exactly they operate from, we all suspect it’s in these buildings (the abandoned buildings) but I can’t be sure,” he said.
He said the city would do well to fix the broken infrastructure and increase police visibility if they wanted to make the area safer.
“Street lights are not working, and haven’t been working for a while, making it easier for criminals to do as they please, especially at night. I don’t know how many times tenants come here saying they have just been robbed on this road. Most of them don’t even bother reporting it to the police because they don’t do anything, only those who want to make insurance claims report it,” he said.
“The lack of police visibility along the Point area is something to look at in the short-term. There was a project where there was security patrolling 24/7, that really worked. I don’t know why it stopped. They would chase out even the vagrants who sleep along the road and crime was under control then.”
Kaunda added that he would join police minister Bheki Cele on a two-day crime imbizo in Inanda and Umlazi from Friday, to address the challenges of crime in the city.
“Crime statistics have shown high levels of murder and sexual offences in these areas. The focus on crime is most opportune as we build up to the festive season. We want our visitors to feel not only welcome, but also safe,” he said.
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