M I TCHE LL’S P LA I N
Every Agent Will Promise To Sell Your Home … We GUARANTEE it
CEA: MIEA Broker/Owner.
Mark Brickles 072 742 6963
Call Mark For More Info OR SMS “G16”,Your Name, Email address/ address to 072 742 6963 FREE CALL 0800-00-00-08 24HRS, 7 DAYS A WEEK www.markbrickles.com
“ Te l lin g it a s it i s” E-mail: post@peoplespost.co.za
Tuesday 16 October 2012
If your Home Doesn’t Sell We’ll buy it
*T & C Apply*
RE/MAX Ultra Select
Tel: 021 713 9440 Fax: 021 713 9481
Bush a drug drivethrough LAILA MAJIET
DRUG DEALERS are reaping the benefit of giving users a one-stop shop, ideally situated out of the public eye. But alert New Woodlands have raised the red flag after noticing a bush being frequented by unsavoury-looking people, referring to the location as a drive-through for addicts. Ward councillor Michael Pietersen, along with the local subcouncil, have set the wheels in motion and workers have since started clearing the bush. Police officials say drug peddling is becoming more difficult to police as dealers move on to the streets. One resident, who recently moved into the area, says the overgrown bush across the road from her home in Walter Batiss Street is teeming with drug pushers, addicts and
buyers who frequent the area. The 29-year-old woman says there has been a spike in drug dealing in the vicinity ever since a petrol-bomb attack at an alleged drug dealer’s home. “These people drive fancy Ford STs, stop in front of the bush and do the exchange. I cannot let my children play on the streets because of this unsavoury activity,” she says. The mother of two says police patrol the area but when they get to the bush, the drug pushers quickly disperse before police can pounce. Shahied George, who lives near the seedy site, says he has made several requests to the City of Cape Town to have the public open space cleared. “After months of trying to get the City to cut down the bush, they are finally taking action,” he says. Mitchell’s Plain police’s information man-
ager, Lieutenant-Colonel Gert Müller, confirms that a known drug dealer has become more sly and has started selling from the property. “The bush from which the dealer’s pushers are now selling is just 250m from the drug house. We have made 25 drug-related arrests in that 250 m radius in the last six months, but only two at the actual premises,” Müller says. Police have managed to bring down the number of drug dealers operating from residential premises, he adds. However, station commissioner Brigadier Johan Brand says catching drug dealers has now become even more of a challenge. “It is much easier to police a house. When dealers sell from the bush, they can see us coming. So before we even get there, they have already dispersed. If we do catch them, the largest quantity of drugs we will find on them is 100 packets of tik,” Brand says.
Police have requested the bush be cut down. Pietersen clarifies that the land belongs to provincial government. “As a short-term intervention, I requested that Law Enforcement and the Anti-Land Invasion Unit have joint operations and patrol in that vicinity. This will now continue on a weekly basis,” he says. Five empty shacks were also found in the unkempt open space. These have since been demolished. “The bush is unsafe and has the potential to be a place where crimes such as drug dealing, murders and rapes can happen,” Pietersen adds.