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GEORGE NEWS - Residents of Dormehlsdrift are pleading with George Municipality for assistance to clean up the forest area at the bottom of Progress Street and Panorama Avenue that has become "a nest for criminals and druggies".
According to the residents, the presence of criminals and homeless people not only leads to increased crime in the area, but also poses huge health and fire risks.
"They use the river in the area and parts of the forest as a toilet and every night you can see fires being lit up. The beauty you see from the outside is definitely not a reflection of the inside of the forest, which is strewn with rubbish," said a resident.
"It's disgusting and it stinks. This has been going on for years and the authorities need to do something before we take the law into our own hands. We are completely fed up."
Suspicious-looking people with dangerous weapons have become a common sight in the area.
One resident said their dog was poisoned and a week later their house was broken into. At another house in the area, intruders beat and kicked a dog to the point where its back broke and it had to be euthanised.
While George Herald was meeting residents at the affected area last Wednesday afternoon, 28 September, two suspicious-looking men who were making their way into the forest were apprehended by a volunteer security guard, Johan Fourie.
When he searched them he found small amounts of Mandrax and tik as well as suspected stolen jewellery.
One of the suspects tried to run away, but Fourie quickly caught up with him. The police were contacted and the men were taken into custody.
Rubbish, human excrement, evidence of stolen goods and drugs are regular finds in the forest.
Anti-land invasion inundated
According to Acting Director of Community Services Sivuyile Mtila, the municipality's anti-land invasion unit is inundated with complaints regarding the homeless and the related issues are not only affecting the municipal areas, but most areas around the city, as the homeless migrate to various areas.
"The anti-land invasion unit patrols the concerned area daily although it becomes unsafe to be in the bush at night. The homeless people are removed during the day, but at night they make their home again and are immediately removed the next day. On average, six to eight structures are demolished per day in various areas, but at one time up to 15 structures were removed," he said.
PHOTO GALLERY: Criminal element harassing residents in Dormehlsdrift Drift
Mtila said the directorate has appointed a service provider to do alien control on municipal land and alien clearing will commence in the next two weeks in the area at the back of Honda in CJ Langenhoven Road.
Provincial government is also in the process of appointing a service provider to remove aliens on their property, which is the area at the back of Heatherlands High School.
"Regular operations are also organised in cooperation with law enforcement and the police to keep these areas clean. During the last clean-up operation, 46 bags of rubbish were removed from the said area," he said.
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