%

If you would like to advertise on our site, please contact Adrian for info.

BBRA header image

Crime

Overstrand Press Release

With the summer holiday season about to unfold, the Overstrand Municipality would like to warn residents and holidaymakers to be extra careful and aware of their safety over the period. Let's also remember that the COVID-19 virus is still going around. Therefore we need to stay vigilant, stay safe but also move forward.

Please read the rest in DOCX or PDF.

Kleinmond police imbizo

Thursday 29 September 2016 - 19H00 - Kleinmond Community Hall (The Town Hall)

Are you concerned with the current crime situation in Bettys Bay? If so please attend the meeting (in the Kleinmond Town Hall) and have your say.

Click here for a PDF with more information.

Adrian de Kock Secretary/Treasurer - Bettys Bay Ratepayers Association

Responses to the Open Letter to the Mayor Re Crime

[Ed:This post was edited to add a new response.]

The Mayor of Overstrand, Mrs. Botha-Guthrie, together with the Director Overstrand Protection Services Neville Michaels, and our ward councillor, Lisel Krige, came to our house this afternoon to discuss the letter I wrote to the Mayor on 6 July, about crime in Bettys Bay. The Mayor and Lisel have both been away on annual leave, and this was the first opportunity they had to get back to us about our concerns.

Mrs. Botha-Guthrie has committed herself to taking this matter further without delay. Mr. Michaels will meet with the Police Cluster Head in Caledon, Brigadier Dyaintyi, and they will also meet with the Minister of Police in the Western Cape, Dan Plato, and if necessary the National Police Minister. Her office has also forwarded copies of my letter to Dr. Michael Cardo, DA member of parliament who is the Constituency Head for Overstrand, as also Mr. Masizole Mnqasela, Chair of the Standing Committee on Local Government in the Western Cape Parliament.

Mrs. Botha-Guthrie has assured me that she has the political will to take this matter forward and ensure that our concerns are taken seriously, and asked me to let friends and fellow residents know that everything in her power will be done to put an end to the totally unacceptable crime level in our village. As soon as the way forward becomes clearer a meeting will be called that we can all attend. She has underlined that it is important that we all pull in the same direction and work together.

I apologise for this official sounding language, but let’s take a deep breath and keep calm, and trust that there are ways to end this stressful situation.

Regards, Pat Markovina.

 

A Word from Rudi Perold, Chairman

Thank you for the feedback.

I am glad that there was a positive outcome of your letter to the Mayor.

The intervention of the Mayor and the proposed re-establishment of the CPF in our region, I foresee, will definitely address the crime wave that we are experiencing.

A spinoff from your letter, was that the former chairperson of the BBRA was approached to facilitate the process of re-establishing the CPF. The election of members in the vacant posts in the CPF will take place on the 28th of September.

It is foreseen that representatives from the Hangklip region, ie Bettysbay, Pringlebay, Rooiels and Kleinmond will serve on the CPF Forum, which is a change from the previous CPF.

It is therefore of utmost importance that a member from our community is nominated, in terms of the prescripts, who has a passion for Betty’s Bay and can promote the interests of the residents.

Kind Regards, Rudi Perold.

 

A repsonse from Lisel Krige — Ward Councillor / Wyksraadslid

Ek het uiteraard gister se vergadering (verkennings-) bygewoon wat deur die burgemeester aangevra is. Graag wil ek net die volgende byvoeg by enige gedagtes wat daaroor gewissel word – miskien in die Buzz? (Ek het die briefie ook vir Pat Markovina gestuur.)

Dankie en groete, Lisel.

 

The current crime prevalence in our otherwise tranquil village is indeed a reason for grave concern to all of us – including myself as the ward councillor.

I spend many sleepless hours fuming and brainstorming; but at the same time I have also spent many active hours probing and scouting in an effort to translate growing insight into proposals for practical and workable solutions that will override or neutralize the exasperating pattern of escalating theft that is spiralling out of control.

As extremely sensitive as the situation is, considering the fact that there is reason to believe that a great deal of the criminal activity is driven and executed by local groups and/or individuals, I am of the opinion that excessive communication and speculation about it locally may be counter productive and may even add fuel to the raging fire.

A solution cannot be instant, as an intricate network of stakeholders and roleplayers is involved – making the chain as strong as its weakest link. It is imperative to ensure that ALL authorities, service providers and individuals are not only on the same page, but are also wholeheartedly united in the mutual aim to restore peace and order.

I therefore add my voice and plea to that of the mayor, Nicolette Botha-Guthrie, that rather than running amuck and randomly raising alarm, we should lend one another our eyes and ears and expertise in order to jointly introduce thoroughly contemplated plans and strategies.

Please be assured that the interests of our area’s residents are a prime priority. Their/our safety cannot be compromised.

 

Regards.
LISEL KRIGE
Ward Councillor / Wyksraadslid
OVERSTRAND
+27 82 572 2711
+27 28 272 9533

The High Cost of Crime in Mooiuitsig

This article is a partial repeat of a recent Buzz story. Please do read the entire thing: they need our help!

Pikkewyntjies is a registered Non-Profit Organisation [NPO], run under the auspices of Child Welfare and the Department of Social Development. Parents who can afford to, pay R150 per month in school fees and Social Development pays R15 per day for SOME of the children. Out of this meagre monthly income, four salaries need to be paid, as well as rental, electricity, water and food bills. There is also the significant cost of replenishing the educational resources needed to keep the children stimulated.

Pikkewyntjies has a monthly shortfall of close to R1000 and the staff and the supporters of the school are constantly involved in fund-raising activities. These are time-consuming and enervating. The energy and time that is spent chasing funds could be so much better spent on the children themselves.

According to Zaan, the crime wave in Betty’s Bay is costing the school dearly. It is her opinion and the opinion of many who live in Mooiuitsig that Betty’s Bay residents regard Mooiuitsig as the source of all the crime in the area. As a result, several residents are withdrawing their financial support of the school and are refusing to employ people who live in Mooiuitsig. This, in conjunction with the deteriorating economic climate, is making life ever more difficult for the parents. 90% of the children in the school have single mothers and most do domestic or casual work. Currently, they are struggling to find employment and, more and more, mothers find themselves unable to pay the school fees. Because removing affected children from the school is an option that Zaan refuses even to contemplate, and because running costs are ever-escalating, the funding shortfall increases monthly.

Zaan, who has her finger on the Mooiuitsig pulse more than anyone else I have met, says that the prevalent belief that Mooiuitsig residents are solely responsible for the crime in Betty’s Bay is completely unfounded. While a few members of the community, no more than seven, are involved in the wider crime ring, the majority of the Mooiuitisig residents are regular law-abiding citizens. While many are aware of what is going on, they feel compelled to keep their mouths firmly shut, as they live with the threat of being killed or having their houses burnt down if they dare speak to the authorities. However, the parents do confide in Zaan.

The Mooiuitsig residents feel as strongly about the crime wave in Betty’s Bay as we all do. It must be remembered that they too are frequent victims of break-ins. Like us, they feel that the police need to do more to combat crime in the area. They also complain that convicted criminals seldom serve their full sentences. When the ringleaders are in jail, the crime levels in Mooiuitsig and the rest of Betty’s Bay drop, but on their release the problems of theft resume immediately in the wider area and theft, drug-dealing and drug taking intensify in Mooiuitsig itself.

 

Some Useful Hints, as Suggested by the Security Companies

  • Most, but not all burglaries occur over the weekends and sometimes on a Thursday nights or Monday mornings. Be extra vigilant in the latter part of a week.
  • For obvious reasons, full moon is a great time for burglars.
  • They often choose windy and rainy nights, so that the noise they make is masked.
  • Be on the lookout for dubious characters on residential streets during the day. They may be “casing the joint”. Their presence could indicate an imminent hit. Contact your security provider and ask for extra night-time surveillance.
  • Our local burglars are on the lookout for flat-screen TVs, laptops, tablets, wallets, handbags and cell phones. Make sure that these are out of sight. If you are away, lock them in a cupboard or hide them somewhere. The burglars need to make a quick getaway and are unwilling to waste time searching for these items.
  • If you have a DSTV dish, you are telling the burglars that you have a TV set on the premises. You will need to be extra vigilant.
  • If you replace a flat-screen TV set or laptop, do not leave the packaging lying around. You will invariably be targeted a second time.
  • Consider a silent alarm in place of a loud siren. This means that there is a greater chance that the criminals will be caught.
  • If you are alone and nervous, sleep with the remote control on a ribbon round your neck. If you hear noises in the night, pretend to be asleep. Do not confront the burglars as this could end in violence. Instead, press the panic button.
  • Unless they are properly secured, sliding doors are very easy to remove.
  • The modus operandi of most of the house-breakers is to hide the loot in bushes nearby to make an unencumbered getaway. This is collected later when the coast is clear. If you have had a break-in, immediately search for the stolen property in the bushes close to your house. You may be lucky.
  • Always ensure that important documents on your laptop are backed up on a harddrive. Store this in an inaccessible place.
  • When you are inside, activate the outside alarms. This gives you warning of impending danger and may well scare away the burglar.
  • Consider upgrading your alarm system for peace of mind.

Criminals regularly manage to enter houses without setting off the alarm systems, a serious problem when one has to deal with insurance providers. Fingers are invariably pointed at the security companies, who are accused of having malfunctioning equipment in the houses of their clients. But, now and then, a foreign beach umbrella is found on the victim’s premises or a mattress will have been dragged from a bedroom into the lounge area. The burglars know what they are doing. They know how to render an alarm system ineffective and these umbrellas and mattresses provide the clues as to how they can achieve this.

Please note: The date has changed AGAIN. The meeting is now on the 15th October 22 October.

Please note: A letter from the Kleinmond SAPS has been added to this article since it was published.

Following on from the memo sent out on 5 August regarding the revival of the Hangklip/Kleinmond CPF which has unfortunately become dysfunctional, I wish to advise that we had a very constructive meeting this morning (13 August) with the Cluster Commander, Brigadier Dyantyi; Chairperson of the Cluster Board, Ms. Mangiagalli; DOCS representative, Ms. Mgijima; Provincial Commissioner’s representative, Mr. Sanders and Station Commander, Captain Kutu.

It was agreed that in terms of the Constitution a Special General Meeting of the CPF needs to be held to fill several vacancies. This is scheduled to be held on the 28th September 15th October 22 October at 18h00 in Kleinmond Hall Main road, next to library.

Kindly distribute the attached Notice. All organizations who previously nominated representatives need not re-register. However, any new organizations wanting to nominate representatives will be required to register. Representation from all community-based organizations are invited and it is essential that all our villages are represented on the CPF for the next 5 years.

Another advert will be placed in the Overstrand Herald.

We request that all make an effort to attend.

 

Further correspondance from Kleinmond SAPS:

The Provincial Office was here yesterday and WO Mostert was in the meeting together with the Cluster Board Chairperson.

He then reported to me that it was agreed that on 2015-09-30 is the dead line date for the submission of the application.

Then after five days from the 30th September 2015 it will be the final day for the screening of the candidates.

Then on 2015-10-15 (15th October) 22 October it will be the AGM.

The Provincial Office then suggested that the Kleinmond CPF Bank Account must be frozen until the new Executive has been nominated.

Please admit my apology as I was not here for the last two days.

Kindly regards

MM KUTU: CAPTAIN
STATION COMMANDER : Kleinmond SAPS

 

Attached documents:

OPEN LETTER TO THE MAYOR RE CRIME IN BETTYS BAY

Burglaries in Bettys Bay have been increasing dramatically over the past five years.   Everybody seems to know who the culprits are and that they mostly live among us here in Bettys Bay.   Police confirm this but few arrests and even fewer successful prosecutions have taken place.

I write this on behalf of neighbours in an area of about one kilometre around my house in Disa Road, Bettys Bay, and will list below the plot numbers of these properties which have been burgled and robbed over the past couple of years.  Many of these have been robbed several times.  Of course this type of crime happens throughout Bettys Bay and Pringle Bay but we are listing here only the facts we know of in our immediate area, which hopefully can convince you of the extent of the problem.

The situation has become intolerable and totally unacceptable to residents who are also loyal citizens and ratepayers.  Many of us have retired to this beautiful area but now find ourselves vulnerable and afraid within our own houses as we are being robbed even while we are inside our homes or a few meters away in our gardens.

Subcategories