Northdale residents concerned about rise in crime near orphanage

The stretch of municipal land bordered by Woodlands Secondary School, Sunlit Gardens Homes and the Mental Health Society has become a hotbed for criminal and illegal activities in recent times.

Residents who live in the vicinity are concerned about the apparent lack of urgency by the Msunduzi Municipality to address the problem surrounding the unkempt vacant land, which they say gives rise to these activities.

The land, which is accessible from the entrance of Woodlands Secondary on Mysore Road and the small path through Barnabas Road, has been the scene of numerous robberies. Drug addicts and prostitutes also use the cover of the thick vegetation to engage in drug taking and sexual acts.

A resident of Karupana Road, Foaziyah Mohamed, who has lived in the area for 43 years, said it was initially a lovely place to live in and the community was united. The vacant land, on the other hand, has been an issue until the school erected fencing that prevented loiterers from accessing the vacant land.

"During the day, you hear people screaming. A lot of robberies take place in that open land. The thieves run through there, taking advantage of the open land behind

Rour homes. Dumping on that land has also become an issue, particularly on Barnabas Road,” said Mohamed.

She added that the municipality must close off the land to prevent further incidents.

Xoliswa Ngobe, a social worker at Sunlit Gardens told Public Eye that the stench from the vacant plot is unbearable and criminal activity is high.

“There is a lot of crime. We have witnessed many people being robbed right outside and the thieves run into this municipal land where the grass is tall. The area is so filthy which is not good for our kids who live here,” said Ngobe.

She said that people living in the bush try to jump over the wall separating the homes from the land to steal the children’s clothes.

“The chairperson of the Sunlit Gardens has contacted the municipality to clear the area, but they have not done so. They have only picked up the dirt and cut the grass once this year, but if you look at it now you will not say that they maintain this land,” said Ngobe.

Mental Health Society workers, who did not want to be named, said that they are concerned as in winter it is dark around 5.30am. This is the time that workers arrive at work and they fear that they could be robbed of

Rtheir belongings.

“Robberies happen all the time. The criminals walk up and down the pathways looking for their victims. Although the police come to the area to search for them, we fear for the safety of our residents as they are frail care patients. Our greatest fear is that one day they will rape one of our residents,” they said.

They added that the night staff hear gunshots and have seen prostitutes on the site. They have also witnessed people defecating in the bush and even vagrants performing sexual acts in full view of the residents.

“We had an incident where a carcass was dumped which gave off a stench for a long period of time. This led to a rat colony in the area,” they said.

Msunduzi Municipality Spokesperson Ntobeko Mkhize said the issue is being attended to.

“The matter has been brought to the attention of the relevant department and will be addressed. There is a grass cutting programme currently being implemented and areas will be included in that programme. The municipality is also appealing to the other owners of private land to ensure that they maintain their land. The municipal bylaws do not allow for unmaintained open spaces as they impact negatively on others.

The law enforcement officials will be investigating the reported criminal activities to ensure the safety of the residents,” said Mkhize.

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