Wellington residents’ continual calls for the Drakenstein Municipality’s (DM) law enforcement to patrol the Spruit River has finally been answered.
DM’s Mayoral Committee Member for Public Safety, Councillor Avron Appollis visited crime hot spots in Wellington on Friday (11 March) with members of his team.
The Spruit River, where daily patrols came into effect on Monday (14 March), was also visited.
Appollis was accompanied by Municipal Law Enforcement and Security Manager Saul Jacobs and Jeron Roux, who was recently appointed as Metal and Cable Theft Project Manager.
The councillor for Ward 2, Nical Sauerman, also joined them for the visit to the Spruit River, as it is within the boundaries of his ward.
Appollis said they had removed illegal squatters at two premises in Wellington, such as Joubert Park and in front of House Navarre in Church Street.
“This will be the way forward,” he said. “We want our residents to see we are serious about combating crime and we want them to join us in the fight against it.
“For that to occur, however, we need to be visible and we need to set the example. Only then will we change the mostly negative mindset of our residents about the prevalence of crime in our areas.”
More action with different arms of the public safety division is planned, and an educational programme at schools is due to start soon.
