By: Zethu Gweva
Upset NU10 residents say their hall has been turned into a crime hub by vandals.
One of the residents who did not want to be mentioned by name said, criminals and people who smoke drugs vandalize the hall by stealing the halls chairs, electrical cables, gates, and tiles.
Anonymous added that if a person needs something for their house they ask one of the people who steal from the hall to sell it to them.
“These criminal activities take place under our noses and nobody is doing anything about it. We are tired of criminals, they defeated me when they removed tiles from the floor,” said Anonymous.
The Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality Spokesperson Samkelo Ngwenya said the hall has been vacant for the past six months.
“Currently we have deployed 4 security guards which two are split for day and night, and we will still have security even after the renovations,” said Ngwenya.
Anonymous expressed that they are scared of reprimanding these criminals as they will hurt them at night.
“We don’t want to find ourselves in a position where we fear for our lives because they have a reputation of being violent towards snitches,” said Anonymous.
In- addition, Anonymous said the community does not have a hall to conduct funerals, weddings, and school choir events.
Ward 48 Councillor Vuyiswa Mpanza said the matter is beyond her control as she has reported it to the municipality.
The renovations plans are set to begin before June 2020 to repair the damaged windows, doors and some roof tiles. According to Ngwenya, the damage done costs about R200 000.
“Our insurance is prepared to pay for it, however, the damage caused may amount to R500 000,” he said.