Vagrants who have set up camp and move around in Tallent Road in Glenlily, Parow are concerning to residents.
One reader said the main area of concern is located across from the municipal building in Tallent Road, Parow. Here vagrants have set up illegal structures under trees in a parking lot.
Vagrants are also apparently occupying a section of Weimar Street and previously moved around the parking area of a church between Weimar Street and Ryan Street, where illegal dumping became an issue.
Vagrants around municipal offices
James Moss, a resident, wrote to the City of Cape Town and the mayor complaining about the situation. In the email dated 9 November, Moss mentions the vagrants squatting across from the municipality and civic centre in Tallent Road.
“Vagrants have also settled in at night in Tallent Road across from the traffic law enforcement offices again, after I previously reported the problem when vagrants were erecting structures under the trees.
“The trees were then cut down and the vagrants moved to this spot.
“They are now again sleeping next to the palisade fence of the municipality on the pavement where the trees were removed, for some time,” Moss wrote.
Moss said some of the vagrants have since moved back to the pavement and parking area opposite the municipal building. He said Parow is becoming like Hillbrow and that he is disappointed.
“I am living here 40 years now and this is not acceptable,” he wrote.
Moss forwarded the newspaper a copy of his reference number when he logged a C3 notification with the City to address the onging matter.
Prasa is responsible, City claims
In response, Wayne Dyason, spokesperson for the City’s law enforcement, said the property in question belongs to Prasa and that the City’s displaced persons unit (DPU) are unable to enforce its operational protocols on this land as it is not City-owned.
He said DPU is willing to work with Prasa, should they request assistance. “However, Prasa will need to be the leading agency in any interventions,” he said.
TygerBurger approached Prasa for comment.
Last week during a sit-down meeting Roger Cannon, Ward councillor, confirmed to the newspaper that he is aware of the vagrant issue around the municipal building and civic centre.
He said in this instance criminals have also started moving in amongst the vagrants.
Cannon said his office is located at the municipal building and that he himself have heard and witnessed people getting robbed in the area.
Cannon said they have logged C3 notifications multiple times and that they have requested law enforcement as well to do patrols in the area more frequently.
