Summer Greens residents have voiced alarm at the sudden appearance of gang graffiti in the neighbourhood.
The calling cards have been left in a park and on walls on the main road.
The words “Fancy Boys”, seemingly a reference to the Cape Flats gang with the same name, were painted on a wall in Summer Greens Drive in full view of passers-by.
However, Craig Alexander, the chairman of the Summer Greens Neighbourhood Watch, said that while it was understanding that the graffiti had alarmed residents, it did not mean that gangsters were active in the area.
“We’ve been doing some enquiries on the culprit that painted these signs and have a lead on who it might be.
“The culprit is a resident of Summer Greens, and we found more places where he painted at Emerald Way Park. However, we would like residents to refrain from jumping to conclusions and speaking without having the facts.
“Yes, there has always been the speculation of gangsters (chance takers) roaming, but there are no established gangs.”
Mr Alexander said that a concerned resident had painted over the “Fancy Boys” graffiti.
Milnerton police spokeswoman Captain Nopaya Madyibi said they were unaware of any significant increase in crime or gang activity in Summer Greens.
However, Summer Greens resident Alan Kemp is not convinced.
“The police may not give us all the information, but we know there’s a huge problem here with people getting assaulted and robbed each day. There are some streets that don’t have adequate street lighting, and these criminals know this and target people. We need to feel protected,” he said.
“The biggest challenge is that residents don’t report crime. Neither to SAPS nor to the neighbourhood watch.”
The chairwoman of the Summer Greens Ratepayers’ Association, Bridgette Lloyd, said most of the crime in the area was committed by those who didn’t live there.
“They come from other areas and infiltrate our community. Not to say that we have a gang issue though, but there’s a crime problem for sure,” she said.