A HAVEN FOR CRIMINALS

Rustenburg – The abundant rainfall in Rustenburg has not only added to the state of our roads, but also poses a security threat.

Residents in Santolina Avenue and Moepel Avenue are on high alert because of the tall grass which borders their properties along the N4. Platinum Weekly talked to Rise Up Rustenburg director, Sandy Webb on Tuesday 28 February 2023 for an insight into the issue.

“Safety is currently a big concern for the residents because it’s easy for criminals to hide in the tall grass. They can easily scale walls and enter yards without being noticed,” said Sandy.

Rise Up Rustenburg is a non-profit organisation which is dedicated to improving service delivery in Rustenburg. Sandy and Kepler Diphale—another Rise Up Rustenburg director—accompanied Platinum Weekly to the problematic areas where the grass is approximately two metres high (more than enough to hide a tall person).  

The confident criminals are undeterred by security measures like dogs, electric fences, barbed wire, alarm systems, and security companies, as they are able to easily disappear into the tall grass. Earlier this month criminals attempted to gain access to a yard by breaking a precast wall.

This precast wall had already been damaged by a previous break-in, so the residents reinforced the wall with palisades. Despite this, the criminals still managed to get over the wall and steal a water pump. In another incident a resident in Santolina Avenue told Platinum Weekly, “On 26 February I was busy in my home when I heard my neighbour scream.

The criminals jumped over the wall during broad daylight to steal tools from my neighbour’s yard.” A neighbourhood watch member added, “The tall grass is a big problem because it makes it impossible to spot criminals—even during patrols.”

To add insult to injury, criminals are even more shielded under the cover of darkness as the light poles along the N4—just before the R24 turn-off—have been felled to strip for copper wire. Platinum Weekly contacted the N1N4 Bakwena for comment.  

Their statement read: Bakwena Platinum Corridor Concessionaire (Pty) Ltd, (Bakwena) is aware of a number of complaints with regard to overgrown vegetation alongside the N4 between Helen Joseph and Dr Moroka drives.

In recent years, this period of the year has recorded more severe rainfall accompanied by high temperatures, which is attributed to climate change. Between December 2022 to February 2023, we experienced unusually high rainfall which has escalated the growth of vegetation along the whole of the Bakwena N1N4 route.

Bakwena carries out two seasonal grass cuts annually:

• Full winter mow from April to August
• Shoulder mow from November to January

The shoulder mow covers the area from the surfaced road up to 3 metres. The full width mow (winter cut) covers boundary to boundary. In between these mows, there is also signage area clean-ups to ensure road signs are always visible to ensure safety of road users.

The planning for the next grass cutting cycle is in progress and Bakwena would like to assure residents that their concerns have been noted. To that effect, priority areas have been identified and these areas will receive attention first when the full winter mow commences.  

A word of advice: Take responsibility for matters affecting your safety. Increase visibility by keeping the grass surrounding your property short. 

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