Burglaries, overcrowding, shebeens and noise are some of the problems driving Summer Greens residents to the edge of despair.
This emerged during the Summer Greens Residents’ Association (SGRA) meeting, attended by some 60 people, at the hall in Tinkers Road, on Wednesday March 29.
SGRA executive member Morne Avenant said house shops in the area were not complying with the City’s operating hours.
According to the City’s rules, house shops can only trade from Mondays to Saturdays, from 7am to 9pm, and on Sundays and public holidays, from 8am to 1pm.
“There are about eight house shops in the area,” said Avenant.
“On Sundays, when they should be closed by 1pm, they are open until late. Some are also open from as early as 6am, which is also out of the guidelines.
“We understand that they need to run a business, but we also need to respect the community’s concerns of safety.”
Noise by-laws were also being broken, and people needed to show courtesy. “If you are going to have a party and you know it’s going to go on for a while, inform your neighbours,” he said.
According to the SGRA’s presentation at the meeting, about 800 complaints of burst pipes, water leaks and sewerage problems had been reported to the City since the beginning of the year.
SGRA chairwoman Bridgette Lloyd encouraged residents to continue logging their complaints.
“We are not the only ones dealing with water leaks, but it doesn’t mean we have to accept it.”
She said it would take more than a hall filled with 60 people to get Summer Greens to a better place.
“Summer Greens has 1 700 houses with roughly 10 000 people. We really need to support our community. Whether you are a foreigner or a South African citizen, we need to stand together with one voice to take Summer Greens to another level.”
Reagan Crouser, chairman of the Summer Greens Neighbourhood Watch, said that in the past five months there had been 21 burglaries, six robberies, five thefts out of motor vehicles, two vehicles stolen and four hijackings.
Mr Crouser said people should be vigilant at all times.
“If you suspect someone is following you or if you see someone suspicious in your driveway, don’t pull in. Take a drive around the block to see if anyone is following you or call the neighbourhood watch, and we will come out.”
Hot spots for crime, he said, includedShannon’sGreen, Gretna Green, Soldier Way, Emerald Way, Shepards Green, Tillers Green, Archers Green and Bally Green.
Shannons Green, in particular, he said, had had a lot of house robberies recently.
