They maintain that two of the self-appointed 'so-called' guards are dangerous and fear dire consequences if the authorities do not step in to prohibit their presence immediately.
In the latest incident 'Ms Botha', a 30-year-old woman who lives at Victoria Bay, told the George Herald she felt intimidated as the car guard had stepped right up to her.
"He harassed me for money and moved into my personal space. He came right up to me and I shoved him several times to get him away from me. He was angered when I told him that I was not going to give him money. I then kicked him. This week the other car guard who had witnessed the incident said they would lay charges of assault with the police if I do not pay up. He too had a threatening attitude."
She wants to put the experience behind her, and is hoping to avoid them at all costs saying she does not feel safe in her current accommodation.
Homeowners who know the men in question well say that over the years they had become increasingly menacing, and have volatile personalities - friendly the one day and threatening the next. The Van der Westhuizen family from Cape Town on Sunday 12 October complained that a guard had hurled abuse at them, and kept up a barrage of curses while they walked to their car. It was such a distasteful experience that they no longer feel like stopping over at the bay.
Asked for assistance
When approached for comment, Barnard said he had phoned the George Municipa-lity law enforcement division, under whose jurisdiction the parking lot falls, to ask them to remove and prohibit the car guards as he had witnessed their increasing aggression over the past weeks. "The one car guard's face was contorted with anger, he looked like he was on drugs." Barnard maintains that nobody responded to his appeal for help last Thursday. He had understood that the George Municipality is investigating the incident and they had been down for an inspection of the bay.
Barnard said on several occasions he had witnessed car guards shoving elderly people, who then landed flat on the tarmac. This was in their eagerness to open the gate for residents. "The whole situation is intolerable and needs immediate action." Barnard said the incident would be captured on the CCTV camera at Victoria Bay. The Eden District Municipality's control room is capable of dispatching law enforcement officers to react. He himself was keen to have law enforcement powers so that he had the full authority to act to contain such incidents.
The police said they had not received any complaints, but Barnard said a police officer in charge of the area had visited the bay last week at his insistence.
Chantel Edwards-Klose, George Municipality media liaison officer, promised to respond to questions sent to her last week regarding the plans for registering car guards on a databasis and prohibiting unregistered people.
Hennie Barnard (right), Eden District Municipality's law enforcement officer, currently only has jurisdiction over the Victoria Bay caravan parks belonging to Eden. He feels he is in an ideal position to have the whole bay under his jurisdiction as he mans the CCTV cameras. AgriForum's Western Cape Coordinator Stefan Pretorius (left) and Chairman Tinus Nortje paid a visit to the bay last month.
ARTICLE AND PHOTO: PAULINE LOURENS, GEORGE HERALD JOURNALIST
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