Municipality and police condemn housing vandalism
Last week Mossel Bay Advertiser published an article about vandalism at the Mountain View state housing complex Breaking New Ground (BNG) section.
The complex is alongside Louis Fourie Road, opposite the suburb of Heiderand.
The article noted that the provincial Department of Infrastructure stated that the vandalised units are to be repaired before they are handed to beneficiaries at the beginning of November and that 24-hour security was being organised for the BNG section.
The Advertiser contacted Mossel Bay Municipality for comment on the vandalism.
Here follows the comment.
Meetings on housing
The municipality noted in a statement that it conducted meetings on housing with communities in the greater Mossel Bay area from 14 to 28 August.
Many issues were addressed by the housing "imbizos", which were better attended than previous imbizos, the municipality stated.
Some of the imbizo dates fell amid the week the legal march (17 August) took place. This was when members of the community marched to the municipal offices in Marsh Street.
Despite this, none of the imbizos were disrupted, although housing was one of the points listed on the memorandum handed to the municipality by the marchers on 17 August, the municipality noted.
Criminal act
"The municipality condemns vandalism as a criminal act and is well aware of the extent of the damage caused at Mountain View. The units are all allocated, but the municipality could not physically move beneficiaries into vandalised homes. The repair work needs to take place first. The municipal housing department is engaging with the contractor in this regard.
"As soon as the units are repaired the approved beneficiaries will be moved in."
The municipality continued: "In October last year, the first occupants moved into the BNG houses in the Mountain View complex. The BNG section of the complex consists of 725 units. The reason there were empty houses, 14 at the time, was that the originally approved beneficiaries could not be traced, for various reasons.
"Sadly, some of these units have been vandalised." The municipality noted that new beneficiaries had been identified and had been approved.
The FLISP (Finance Linked Individual Subsidy Programme) section of the housing complex has 24-hour security, the municipality noted.
Stolen
The municipality stated that washing line poles and fences around the storm water retention ponds had been stolen at Mountain View.
It encouraged Mountain View residents to take ownership of their complex and be vigilant to prevent theft and vandalism. All cases of theft and vandalism must be reported to the police.
Complaints have also been received regarding sewage blockages. It was found these blockages were the result of foreign objects being flushed down toilets. Residents are urged to cooperate, the municipality stated.
Many issues were addressed by the housing ‘imbizos’, which were better attended than previous imbizos, the municipality stated.
'Drug dealing'
Members of the community told the Advertiser that besides vandalism and theft, drug dealing was taking place at the complex. They said some of the residents did not want certain beneficiaries to move in, that was why the units had been vandalised. The Advertiser asked the police for comment on the crime at Mountain View.
Police spokesperson Warrant Officer Kappie Kapp said the police would investigate any reported case of vandalism and dealing in illicit substances. "The police have had crime prevention operations in that area and has continuous interventions in that area, including Mountain View."
Kapp noted that the police service kept encouraging the public to work hand in hand with the police and to report criminal activities.
"There are numerous mediums to do so, such as the 08600 10111 Crime Stop number or the MySaps app, which can be downloaded on any smart phone. All information will be treated as confidential," he said.