Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Poor lighting and inaccessibility in Khayelitsha
POLICING in Khayelitsha is not only hampered by inadequate lighting at night but the inaccessibility of certain areas in the informal settlements adds to the complexity, a Weekend Argus patrol found this week.
Last week, Weekend Argus reported that inadequate lighting was rendering the township residents vulnerable to crime. The report was based on a City of Cape Town’s lighting distribution map which showed fewer street lights and more high mast lighting in the town- ship compared to neighbouring suburbs. High mast lighting, as described by the City’s Design and Management Guidelines for a Safer City, should be avoided as it casts deep shadows.
Human rights organisation Social Justice Coalition, which is advocating for more street lights for the safety of Khayelitsha residents, said last week a clear plan with timelines and a ring-fenced budget to address the lack of effective public lighting in the formal and informal areas of the township was urgently needed.
This week, a journalist and photographer team went on a patrol, trailing SAPS members of the Harare police station.
The station is one of three operating in the township and covers areas such as Enkanini, Endlovini, Kuyasa and Makhaza servicing more than 50 000 people.
Other parts of Khayelitsha are serviced by Lingelethu West Police Station and another station in Site B with a mobile police station in Site C.
In a space of three hours between 8pm and 11pm, the Harare team responded to a woman’s call to be accompanied to serve protection order docu- ments on her partner. Another woman called for help when she and a baby were thrown out of the house by her husband.
Listening to the police twoway radio during the patrol, one could hear complaints in other areas including a hijacking in Eerste Rivier, a vehicle theft in Strand, a mob justice attack and another hijacking in Site C.
While patrolling Enkanini where most lighting comes from high mast posts, it was obvious inadequate lighting was a deterrent to visibility. Spaces between shacks and a lack of roads inside the informal settlement showed that movement, on foot and by car was not ideal.
Some of the shacks had more than one house number and when trying to locate a complainant, this posed a challenge, an officer accompanying us said.
A G4S security guard experienced this first-hand when a Toyota Quantum he was travelling in was hijacked in Site C. He was allegedly dumped in Enkanini where our patrolling team was flagged down while passing by. Had it not been for the police patrol, the security guard would have had a hard time explaining where he was.