By Mzukona Mantshontsho
We demand a fully-fledged Police Station in Cosmo City. These were the sentiments of residents from Cosmo City because of the high levels of crime, rape and murders.
The Mobile Police Station in extension 8 does not cut it anymore given the between 300,000 and 400,000 population in the area. The residents took a memorandum of demands to the Member of the Executive Committee in Gauteng Department of Community and Safety division in Johannesburg.
The Memorandum:
We demand a fully-fledged Police Station,
We demand Police Visibility in the area,
We demand more police personnel in the area,
We demand the dignity of the South African Police Service to be restored,
We demand a stronger fight against alcohol and substance and abuse,
We demand a stronger stance against illegal firearms.
The Cosmo City Development is the first public private partnership worth R3.5billion between the City of Johannesburg, Basil Read, Codevco as well as the community. Cosmo City emerged out of an urgent need to provide accommodation for the informal settlers of Zeverfontein and Riverbend who had been illegally occupying privately owned land 25 kilometres North West of the Johannesburg Central Business District.
The Population of Cosmo City
In an interview with former Managing Director at Basil Read Developers, Brian Mulhorren, he confirmed that Cosmo City had 11 562 families – this is excluding the backrooms that have mushroomed. This number comes from 4944 RDP houses, 3400 bonded houses, 281 rental-apartments and 2937 semi-financed houses. There is a plan to have 20 bonded sites in extension 0, 150 bonded houses in extension 5, much like the Sonwabo Development. There is a potential of another 170 bonded houses in extension 8 and around 189 Uptown houses in extension 2 and 4.
In the absence of Member of the Executive Committee (MEC), Chief of Staff at the department Kgomotso Mokgopo accepted the memorandum.
House robberies on the Increase!
Cosmo City residents are warned to please be alert at all times especially during the evenings. Residents are requested to ensure that proper locks are installed on the inside of doors and security gates. Please DO NOT leave any doors or windows open or unlocked during the night when sleeping.
A group of two to four suspects are targeting residents staying in the “back rooms”. The suspects are forcing or kicking the doors open to gain entry and mostly commit these crimes in the early hours of the morning. The suspects operate on foot and no vehicle has been seen. It is believed that the suspects are in their early twenties. The suspects only take small items, cellphones and cash.
Ensure that you have the number of the South African Police Service (SAPS) to contact immediately when you hear someone at your door or notice any suspicious people or vehicles. Please report any robbery immediately to the SAPS and do not leave the reporting for the next day.
Important phone numbers to REMEMBER!
Honeydew South African Police Services: +27(0)11 801- 8613/4/5
Police sector vehicles in Cosmo City: +27(0) 71 675 7104 / +27(0) 71 675 7109.
(Always know your street address, with the nearest corner and extension in which you stay).
- The need for an official CPF that is representative of all the extensions is a must for Cosmo City,
- Residents need to know the contact numbers for the police,
- Each extension must have a task team, and
- There should be incentives for the CPF, the patrollers and block committees.
A follow-up meeting to choose a task team for extension 4 residents and all the other extension is priority, if we are to have an effective and functional CPF.
To report crime in Cosmo City, these are the numbers:
The two patrol vans – 071 675 7104 or 071 675 7109,
The satellite police station in extension 8 – 011- 875 9941 or 011- 875 9940.
The Mobile Police Station in extension 8 is not enough!
