With multiple temporary shelters being built by the homeless and suspected criminals along the beach and parks in Jeffreys Bay, residents are concerned for their safety, and that of tourists visiting the town.
Gabri Viljoen, resident and member of the community crime prevention initiative JBay Safer, said that there were a lot of people staying in the area illegally and that they noticed an increase in temporary structures being built on the sand dunes from Jeffreys Bay Main Beach to the Kabeljous Nature Reserve, and in parks throughout Jeffreys Bay.
Despite the increase in illegal occupants continuing to erect their temporary homes on the beach area, he said that residents have contributed to the problem since they leave various materials at their front gates which are then used by homeless people and suspected criminals to build temporary structures.
“People in the area complain about the homeless staying on the beach and parks, but they do not help by leaving potential building material outside their homes,” said Viljoen.
“It is no longer safe for the residents or visitors to walk along the beach because of the homeless and suspected criminals staying on the sand dunes.”
He said that residents have become comfortable with leaving various materials outside their homes instead of dropping them off at a scrap yard because they know “someone” will pick them up instead.
“This has become a safety concern, because people do not dispose of their garbage correctly. Potential burglars often see what people have bought and know what is inside their homes by looking at their garbage,” said Viljoen.
As a result, he said that they have allegedly noticed an increase in house-break-ins in the area.
To create a safe environment for the people in Jeffreys Bay, Viljoen said that two years ago he was involved with the establishment of Safer JBay, a community crime prevention initiative that includes SAPS, Kouga Law Enforcement, boots on the ground, Kouga Camera Control Centre, Smhart Security, G4S, Exec Ops, ADT, KB Security, and the various Neighbourhood Watch groups in the area.
He said that they later established the Safer JBay Facebook page, to inform residents about safety issues in the area.
“We found that it was better to create a Facebook page to encourage people to be more cautious and inform residents about what is going on in the Jeffreys Bay area,” said Viljoen.
“We are determined to work together to make Jeffreys Bay safe again.”
Viljoen said that homeless people in the area are desperate for food and shelter, but instead of giving money to beggars on the street he would advise people to join One Village’s R5 book initiative.
Evelyn Markides from One Village said that the R5 Token books used to get cash off the streets can be purchased from an approved outlet or from One Village for R50 or R100.
She further said that the R5 token can be given to a person in need and tokens can be redeemed at the One Village Container in Oceanview near King’s College.
Markides said that the value of one token is a meal or an item of clothing and in some instances both.
“Together, as a community we can make a difference and get cash off the streets which will empower people,” said Markides.
In addition to the R5 Token books, she said that One Village also has satellite soup kitchens at churches and schools in Oceanview, and in the township areas.
Viljoen said that if people give the homeless money they are contributing to the problem.
“There are many clever ways to help people in need,” said Viljoen.
“It is better to be a part of the solution than being a part of the problem. The R5 booklet initiative is a smart way of helping people in need instead of giving them cash for a quick fix.”
Viljoen said that if people want to decrease criminal activity, it is important for them to become part of the solution.
In addition to buying R5 booklets from One Village, he said that there are many other organisations that people can consider getting involved in.
“There are many logical ways of helping deal with this problem,” said Viljoen.
Municipal manager, Charl du Plessis, said that Human Settlements was not aware of temporary shelters built along Jeffreys Bay Main Beach and the Kabeljous Nature Reserve, and that their municipal officials will monitor the situation in terms of their monitoring programme.
Du Plessis said,
Du Plessis further said that they currently have no shelters that cater for the homeless in the area.
For more information about vendors for One Village’s R5 Token books, send a WhatsApp message to Evelyn Markides on 083 382 5043 or Sonya Hofler 078 087 2806.
