About 100 Doornfontein residents, mostly women, got their hands dirty by taking to the streets to clean a crime hotspot in their neighbourhood.
The City of Joburg’s Chair of Chairpersons in Council, Cllr Alex Christians, on Wednesday, 21 August 2019, led the community, stakeholders, councillors and city officials to tackle the notorious Erin Street precinct.
The precinct separates Johannesburg and Ellis Park stadiums. Over the years, the area had become derelict, with the number of abandoned and vandalised buildings including the public toilets being used for criminal activities.
The community had previously complained to the City about women who are mugged and raped at the vandalised public toilets on their way to work at night. Bad street lighting, overgrown trees and shrubs had also contributed to criminal activities.
In line with the Legislature Cluster Committees’ objective of commemorating the Women’s Month, the office conducted an oversight visit in order to develop the background paper around the precinct and interviewed several women who are affected by crime in the area.
Residents came in their numbers to join City officials to spruce up the area. The work that was carried included refurbishing the vandalised toilets, road markings, tree pruning, sweeping and the beautification of the precinct.
Cllr Christians was also joined by the Chairpersons of Section 79 Committees, Johannesburg Roads Agency, Joburg Water, City Parks and Zoo, City Power, Disaster Management, JMPD, CRUM and private partners like On Target Business Solutions and Old Mutual.
“As the municipality, we have a small budget compared to the private sector. Thankfully there is a willing partner that has come on board as part of a public-private partnership. They have committed to ensure that the public toilet facility works and that the community can use it,” said Cllr Christians.
On Target Business Solutions operates a college in the area and has pledged its support to renovate the toilets to make the area safer. “This precinct has been identified as the pathway for most of our students. Safety for our students is paramount and that’s why we have identified this area as a problem. We are invested in the area and want to better the area with the help of the council,” said On Target Business Solutions’ Wayne Shaun Stone.
