Vanessa Burger pointed to an area in Umbilo Park and said, "that's where many of the girls are taken to be raped."
|||Durban - Community activist Vanessa Burger stood on the edge of the footbridge leading into the picturesque Umbilo Park and pointed to an area thick with vegetation.
“That’s where many of the girls are taken to be raped,” she said.
A few degrees to her left, she pointed to a spot under a tree. “That is where a man had his throat slit. He was lucky to survive.”
Moving her finger towards another spot further to her left, she added: “That is where Mthokozisi Ngcobo was stabbed to death. He was his family’s sole breadwinner.”
Burger, the chairwoman of the Umbilo Action Group, is among scores of residents in the area who have had enough of escalating crime in the park.
On Saturday, the community plans to “reclaim” the park, in the hope of bringing families - driven out by thugs - back to enjoy the habitat that is home to birds, indigenous trees and wildlife.
“This is a beautiful park that has unfortunately been the scene of numerous crimes. But we want to take it back from the criminals and show them that this park belongs to the community,” Burger said.
The park, sandwiched between Oliver Lea Drive in Umbilo and Solomon Mahlangu (Edwin Swales VC) Drive on the Seaview side, is used as a thoroughfare by pupils from the Brettonwood High School nearby, as well by domestic workers, who catch public transport at the Southway Mall, also nearby.
Because of the thick bush surrounding the park and the various escape routes it offers, criminals have used it to launch numerous attacks on people.
Burger said there was a mugging almost every week, and in recent years there had been many rapes.
In February, a 14-year-old schoolgirl was gang-raped by a group of schoolboys at a secluded spot.
In March last year, community safety MEC Willies Mchunu met the Umbilo Community Policing Forum after the murder of Ngcobo.
“At one time, we had a rape almost every month in this park,” Burger said.
“We have found discarded bank cards, bags, cellphone covers and used condoms under the bridge,” she said.
Burger said that the community had tired of trying to get the police to conduct sting operations in the area, and had decided to go it alone instead.
“We have to take back this park, and we, as a community, have to stand up and do (this),” she said.
“There is a lack of will from the police to do anything, and it is not about them not having enough resources, but about them being unwilling to do something. That’s why we need to take action.”
Among the events planned for Saturday, Burger said, were performances by Dalton Hostel Drummers & Dancers for Peace and a group of graffiti artists painting an eye on the bridge as a symbol of the community’s presence.
Burger said they planned to speak to private security companies in the hope that they would voluntarily do random patrols of the park.
“Many people in the community live in fear of crime, the police and each other. It’s time we came together, put aside our differences and looked out for each other.”
Police spokesman, Captain Thulani Zwane said: “The Umbilo police are doing regular patrols in the area and surroundings, observation duties and stop and search operations are also conducted.
“The crime is stable in the area. Meetings are held with the CPF structures to discuss crime in the area. We encourage community members to get involved in crime prevention by joining CPF structures in the area.”
Daily News