A massive joint operation held at the Wynberg Public Transport Interchange (PTI) last week is but the first step in a much bigger plan to clean-up the suburb.
So say Carmen Siebritz and Emile Langenhoven, councillors for wards 63 and 62, respectively.
Both were present on Thursday 10 March when a joint operation, comprising various City departments (including Law Enforcement and traffic services), Wynberg police, the Department of Home Affairs “and just about any other security force one can think of”, took place.
Siebritz explains that both wards 62 and 63 now fall under subcouncil 20.
She says she and Langenhoven, individually and together, have had ongoing discussions with various role-players and stakeholders on how they can clean up the area and make it safer for residents.
According to Langenhoven, the operation took place partly as a result of a joint meeting held on Wednesday 23 February at the Alphen Centre, which included the police, geocentric (Wynberg Improvement District), traffic, Law Enforcement, Wynberg Sector 1 CPF, MURP (Mayoral Urban Regeneration Programme), City Planning and Metro Police.
Siebritz credits the City of Cape Town’s Public Transport Interchange (PTI) Manager, Dwynn Fruen for getting all role-players out in full force last week. She said: “Apart from the physical decay in Wynberg’s PTI, there are drug dealers, drug addicts, and illegal merchants. Last week’s operation included addressing all that. The teams went out looking for drugs, buildings were searched. It was a very big operation.”
During the joint operation held in the PTI last week, six arrests in drug-related crimes and eight arrests of undocumented persons were made, respectively. Drugs confiscated included 30 g and 115 g of dagga, 1 g of crystal meth, and 3¾ Mandrax tablets. Eighteen by-law fines and 18 traffic fines were issued, respectively.
Both Siebritz and Langenhoven describe last week’s operation as an impressive start and a step in the right direction. The councillors also share that the intention is to continue such operations at regular intervals depending on available resources.
Langenhoven adds that these operations will form part of a bigger picture to restore Wynberg to its former self.
He said: “The decay that has set in is due to lawlessness and what I can only call slumlords, who have allowed their properties to deteriorate and have attracted a criminal element that has established themselves in the Wynberg CBD.”
Langenhoven said he intended to do an audit of every problem building that contributes to Wynberg’s decay, and to ensure owners of those not compliant or up to code are prosecuted. “That process has already begun and I hope to start seeing further action in the next few weeks. Ebhor Road and its adjoining Uli Heydt building, on the corner of Langley and Main (corner of Church Street and Egham Road) are some of the targets on this list.”
