NEWS 5
PEOPLE'S POST | WOODSTOCK | MAITLAND Tuesday, 30 July 2013
MAITLAND: PROBLEM PLOT DISPOSAL UNDERWAY
Site set to change hands
NICOLE MCCAIN
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site earmarked for housing is instead being turned into a home for petty criminals. Business owners in Maitland say the overgrown bushes and trees on the site along the railway line off Kensington Road provide cover for a host of illegal activities. Maitland CID manager Ralph van der Brock says the field is a tangled mess of overgrown trees and bushes – ideal cover for criminals. “The suspects steal cables from the neighbouring Grindrod container depot and can then hide and burn the cables down at their leisure. Drug abuse is also taking place there.” Denver Varrie, who works in the security department at Grindrod, says the field is a nightmare for the company. “The field backs onto our property and the guys just jump over the fence. They steal the cables from the refrigerator containers. The plot is covered in trees and bushes which the suspects hide between. They steal around 200 cables a month.” This adds up to several hundred thousands in loss. Another business owner near the field, who asked not to be named, says she had not had any run-ins with vagrants or criminals on the site. “But several residents have complained to me about vagrants on the field,” she says.
SORRY SITE: This field, which backs onto the Grindrod container depot, is said to be ground zero for criminal acitivities. Ward councillor Dereck America says the City of Cape Town is not responsible for the tract of land as it is owned by the provincial Department of Transport and Public Works. The site is earmarked for a housing project, confirms the department's spokesperson AlAmeen Kafaar. “The Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works is cur-
rently responsible for the maintenance of the vacant portion of erf 25166 in Maitland,” he says. “The department will attend to the cutting and clearing of the vegetation on this portion. No security service has been deployed and the property is fenced. The disposal of the vacant portion of the property is under way in terms of the required ap-
PHOTO: NICOLE MCCAIN
proval process.” Despite the complaints, Maitland police were unable to confirm any criminal activities at the site.
Div Divas as prep prepare are to dazzle Glitz and glam will be taken to a whole new level with the second annual Miss Gay Ambassador pageant on Saturday 10 August. The event, which will see 20 contestants vie for the ultimate prize of being crowned Miss Gay Ambassador, will be held at the Kensington Civic Centre. The extravaganza and will be hosted by Logan McGregor – Miss Gay Western Cape 2011 and the reigning Miss Diva South Africa 2012. From dazzling rhinestones to feather boas, the contestants will stun the audience as they aim to raise awareness and dispel perceptions of homosexuality. There will also be special performances by cabaret stars Manila von Teez and 3D.
The winner will also automatically be entered as a finalist in the Miss Gay Western Cape 2013, which will take place at the Baxter Theatre in Rondebosch on Saturday 5 October. Well-known Zilin Ayoki won this pageant last year. The show, which starts at 19:30 for 20:00, also aims to uplift the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersexed community. Admission costs R20; take your own XYZ. For more information on the event or to purchase your tickets, phone Logan on 072 584 8153.
GLAMOUROUS: GLAMOUROU S: The delightful Logan McGregor will be the host of the 2013 Miss Gay Ambassador pageant. PHOTO: SUPPLIED
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