TygerBurger experienced this first-hand on Monday morning while taking photographs, when two of the “traders” started throwing bricks at the reporter while berating her using foul language.
Despite numerous site visits and operations over the past four months, the problem persists. However, says Theresa Uys, councillor for ward 112, the residents who are – in a spirit of goodwill – handing out used homeware, clothes and kitchen and household appliances to vagrants or “traders” at the Durbanville taxi rank, or putting these items out in their weekly dustbins, are largely contributing to this problem.
She told TygerBurger the Durbanville taxi rank was identified in 2014 as a World Design capital project for upgrading. The taxi rank would have been upgraded to a Public Transport Interchange (PTI) to cater for the larger population expected with the Garden Cities development, as well as the extension of the MyCiTi routes to Durbanville in future. “A development plan was compiled by stakeholders during a workshop. The budget of about R3m was redirected in 2015/16 to rather upgrade the Bloekombos taxi rank, because it was then said the amount was not enough for the complete upgrading project in Durbanville,” Uys said.
The situation got out of hand about 18 months ago when there was an influx of “pop-up traders” who started to take over the park area of the taxi rank. “It became an acute problem in the past six months. We have identified that some of their goods on sale have either been stolen or scavenged from bins, but the largest portion are big items, such as ironing boards, which have been handed out to them by our own residents,” she said.
Uys said she had witnessed herself how people had come and offloaded their used braais, ironing boards, baby toys and even a broken deep-fat fryer while she was doing a walkabout on Friday 12 October. She said it has become increasingly dangerous for her to go to the site due to the aggression of some of the traders. “Law Enforcement officials regularly remove them, but we are too under-resourced to have a permanent Law Enforcement officer on site daily.
It is suspected that the illegal trading is run as a business by a man and woman, presumably from Fisantekraal, who are the most aggressive – the same ones who threw bricks at TygerBurger, and that they “rent” out space to others, often foreigners.
Uys has escalated the matter and requested that the budget be allocated from the adjustment budget process. “It has become a dangerous and aggressive situation,” Uys said.
“This will make it easier to control activities in the smaller area,” she said. The outspan will be accessible during the day, but locked at night. We want to extend our CCTV camera system to the taxi rank and deploy a dedicated Law Enforcement official in the area,” she said.
“However, as long as residents give hand-outs to these people, they sustain these people’s damaging lifestyle on the streets. We know you care and you want to help, but please do not give money or hand-outs,” she said.
Uys urged people to rather support the following non-governmental organisations: Olympians Social Development and Education (Wendy Bosse on 021 988 1470 or olympianssa@gmail.com); Fisantekraal Centre for Development (Jane Gelderman on 021 975 7765 or directorfcd@gmail.com); Durbanville Children’s Home (021 975 6822 or marketing@durbanvillekinderhuis.org.za); MES (021 948 9888 or capetown@mes.org.za); GiveWise Foundation (Lucinda Valentine on 071 673 8641 or givewise@outlook.com); Badisa Trio (021 945 1064 or 021 987 2940 or adminbellville@badisatrio.org.za); 2nd Chance (Jarryd Smith on 072 159 8822 or jarryd@2nd-chance.co.za); Waumbe Fisantekraal Youth Development Centre (waumbefisantekraal@gmail.com).
