A ward councillor has called for the authorities to crack down on rowdy youngsters at Lover’s Lane, the popular lookout point in Plattekloof.
Ward 1 councillor Cheryl Visser told the Sub-council 3 meeting that she received a lot of complaints about noise at the lookout at Uys Krige Drive, Plattekloof at the recent Sub-council 3 meeting after she fielded numerous complaints about noise disturbances at the site.
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Young people played loud music into the early hours of morning and traffic service and law enforcement needed to rein them in, she said.
Ms Visser said youth go to the lookout also known as Lover’s Lane and play loud music into the wee hours of the morning.
“Special operations need to be conducted by City law enforcement as the noise pollution in the area is a problem,” she said.
She said the spot could not be closed as it was a tourist attraction.
“We can’t take this away from the people. It’s not every night that they are making a noise, but one night is one too many. These activities have been the order of the day for many decades, mostly executed by youngsters over weekends and late at night, to the dismay of the surrounding neighbours,” she said.
Speaking in 2017, In an interview with the Northern News in 2017, Ms Visser said the area had sentimental value, and older people called it Fairyland (“No love lost at lookout,” May 31, 2017).
Gert Knoetze chairman of the Loevenstein Neighbourhood Watch, said he had also heard a lot of said he has fielded complaints about loud noise, littering, public drinking and urination at Lover’s Lane.
“Despite the City of Cape Town putting up signage and a camera that is connected to a control room, people are still misbehaving at the lookout,” he said.
Many people visited the area to soak in the breathtaking view.
“The area is better than it used to be, but there are still issues. People have no regard. I patrolled there often, and when I would approach visitors who were publicly drinking, they would completely ignore me.
“Some people become increasingly arrogant after they have been drinking. Some of them, just don’t care, and they are a law unto themselves,” he said.
Meanwhile, Ms Visser told the Monte Vista Neighbourhood Watch meeting on Monday January 21 that vagrancy as also being on the increase in the areawas a growing problem in the area.
“Monte Vista is quite a safe neighbourhood, but the amount of homeless coming into the area is on the increase. I want to urge residents to give responsibly to the homeless.”
Monte Vista Neighbourhood Watch chairman Vic Barra said thefts from cars was a other issues present in the area are theft out of motor vehicles which remains the “top crime” and there had been an increase in wall-jumping incidents.
and the increase in the number of wall-jumpers was noted as a growing concern.
Goodwood police station commander Colonel Sibusiso Mntambo said police had mostly dealt with burglaries, robberies and malicious damage to property cases this month.
Colonel Mntambo said a police vehicle patrolledhey have one vehicle patrolling the Monte Vista area and would be dispatched to deal with noise complaints if residents logged them.
and if residents lodged a noise complaint the van would immediately go and asked the people to put off their music.
“If they don’t comply, we would either give them a fine or confiscate their music system, if possible,” he said.
Many of the cases reported at the station involved people from outside of Goodwood committing the crimes.
“These criminals are mobile, but I am not saying that there aren’t a small fraction of people from the area also committing crimes,” he said.
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