Pretoria - Steps to fight crime at the Voortrekker Monument and the surrounding nature reserve are under way.
To set the wheel in motion, the City of Tshwane has been cutting long grass in specific risk areas.
This came after different stakeholders, which include the municipality, the monument and the Federasie van Afrikaanse Kultuurvereniginge, raised the alarm that crime was on the increase in the vicinity after recent armed robberies targeting visitors and staff on two occasions.
The MMC for Corporate and Shared Services, Kingsley Wakelin, said the City held a follow-up meeting with relevant stakeholders to address the crime and vandalism that plague the monument.
“Working on the operational commitments made at the initial meeting to increase security to keep the monument and the surrounding nature reserve safe, I am happy to report that since the City’s intervention, significant progress has been made to normalise the situation,” he said.
Wakelin said some significant progress made included commencing with controlled grass burning and identifying and marking specific risk areas where crime occurred frequently.
Stakeholders also realised a significant reduction in cable theft in the area. According to Wakelin, some inroads were made to implement plans to establish a forum on crime prevention with such stakeholders as the Department of Public Works, the SAPS and the City’s cable theft unit under the metro police.
The meeting resolved to enable a prospective intervention by a private company to sponsor and erect a fence.
Wakelin said: “The meeting also served as a platform to clarify which areas the City is responsible for, thus eliminating misunderstandings. This will also improve the turnaround time on cable replacement and maintenance.”
He said the metro was open to work with the private sector, non-governmental organisations and businesses to safeguard infrastructure.
“We call on communities to also join hands with us and start where they are by protecting their local assets, such as libraries and clinics,” he said.
Pretoria News