Residents concerned about increasing crime in the CBD
Sex workers, making use of hourly accommodation options in Bulwer Street, are contributing to the spate of crime that is out of control.
This is according to
Bulwer Street residents, in the Pietermaritzburg CBD, who believe the increase in crime is being aggravated by a bed & breakfast establishment, which offers hourly accommodation.
Homes and business premises are being burgled on a regular basis and residents are robbed of their possessions, sometimes in broad daylight.
Residents allege the sex workers that frequent the streets have taken advantage of the hourly accommodation rate and tout for business outside the establishment. Once an agreement is reached, the sex worker and the client check into the bed & breakfast.
When Maritzburg Sun visited the premises, sex workers were openly plying their trade outside.
A concerned resident, who did not want to be named, said the prime cause for the increase in crime is the establishment of the bed & breakfast that is frequented by sex workers.
“We have ongoing problems with sex workers and crime in the area.
The hourly bookings at this house on Bulwer Street is the main reason that sex workers use the premises, leading to drugs and crime,” said the resident.
A concerned business owner in the area said they are losing a lot of clients.
“Our customers do not want to [visit the area]. We are thinking about relocating our business,” said the owner, who did not want to be named.
She also alleged that the sex workers have been the main cause for the increase in crime in the area.
“Ever since these women appeared, crime has increased. We have had four attempts of people trying to get access to the property.
SAPS has been of little help,” she said.
Another concerned business representative said sex workers in the area do play a role in the increase in crime.
“Crime in the area is high. They recently stole my laptop and the copper pipes from the building. This area is secluded and there is no reason for people to be here, making it easier for people to be robbed.
“The sex workers also play a role because they attract people to the area. It is mainly the homeless who are stealing the pipes. We also had someone tamper with our cameras so it makes it harder to identify them,” she said.
Another concerned resident said the property, now functioning as a bed and breakfast, was bought by its current owners about four years ago.
“[It is being run as] a regular bed & breakfast but people use it as hourly accommodation. For the last two years, sex workers have been all over the area near this bed & breakfast,” he said.
He said previously, there was a sign advertising the bed & breakfast on the gate, but this has since been taken down.
He added that the sex workers used to operate at the bottom end of the street, but they have now moved up the street.
“According to the ward councillor, some sex workers were killed near Manor, so they have all moved up. They are now here at the bed & breakfast because of the hourly accommodation. So the women stand outside this establishment and once they get a client, they move into the house. They are there for the whole day,” he said.
The concerned resident said has tried to speak to the owner of the establishment, without much success.
“I’ve spoken to him when things have gotten bad, like when the women are fighting and are drunk from midnight up until 6 am. There was also a shooting on the property.
I have spoken to the local councillor, who has told him to cease his operations; I have spoken to the SAPS, but so far, their attempts and my own have accomplished nothing in the past five months,” he said, adding that he too has fallen victim to house robbery.
“Thieves broke and stole money and cell phones.”
The owner of the property, who did not want to be named, and now lives in the United Kingdom, said her ex-husband, whom she divorced in 2021, was running a business from her property, but she was not aware of the type of business. She said she was in no way involved with the business.
“Our divorce was finalised in November 2021, and we had a settlement which we both signed. I decided to let the municipality auction the property and chose estate agents, but the agents and potential buyers [are having difficulty accessing the property],” she said.
The owner of the bed & breakfast establishment said he can’t tell which customers are sex workers and which are not.
“We offer accommodation, at hourly or overnight rates. How are we to distinguish who's a prostitute and who's not?” he said.
He added that he cannot be blamed for the sex workers who stand near his property. “It is a problem. These women used to be down the road. Some of them went to Boom Street and some of them hung around here.
“What am I supposed to do about it? People cannot say that they are here because of me; you cannot say an aeroplane is responsible for [transporting] a hijacker,” he said.
“I cannot go and patrol outside my gate because I have no authority. [The sex workers] don’t just stand outside my house. They stand outside other houses too. I can tell them not to stand by the gate, but I do not have authority outside the gate. If I was not here, they would be standing outside some other B&B or hotel,” he said.
Ward 33 councillor Suraya Reddy said that she has tried her best to rectify this problem, even resorting to try and get the army to intervene.
“The army was supposed to come and assist and they did come for a few weeks, but then stopped. We are currently at a dead end and are waiting for legal advice to do something,” said Reddy.
SAPS spokesperson Sergeant Sfiso Gwala confirmed there was a rise in crime in the area, however, crime was not as bad as other areas under the same policing sector. “The community is advised to report any criminal activities happening within their areas. [SAPS priorities cases] in terms of the reported crime, for deployment and operations purposes, but all areas are covered in terms of policing the Pietermaritzburg policing precinct,” said Gwala.