By Sandiso Phaliso
People in Browns Farm in Philippi, about 25 km away from Cape Town, are desperate.
Police have declared Browns Farm a crime hotspot. There’s no police station for the 11 informal settlements of the area.
So, the community was elated when councillor Melikhaya Gadeni had announced in a meeting last September that an agreement between himself, the SAPS in Nyanga, community leaders and the Community Policing Forum was reached. The police were to move into the Browns Farm community centre at the end of that month.
But four months later there is still not a sign of a single cop.
This past weekend at a packed community meeting, Gadeni asked newly appointed Nyanga station commander, Lindiwe Dyantyi, why it was taking so long for a formal police presence there. She said police can only move into the Browns Farm building when they get the go-ahead from the provincial commissioner.
In the meantime, people in the community feel terribly vulnerable.
In 2021 there were 87 murders recorded. Carjackings, violent robbery, home invasions, and cases of gender-based violence are all too common.
For residents, it is a nightmare living here. Gunshots ring out day and night. Couriers have stopped delivering because of crime. Municipal workers have to be escorted into the area to do maintenance work.
A satellite police station at the nearby Philippi train station was decommissioned earlier last year.
There was no electricity because of constant cable theft and vandalism. The cops stationed there were redeployed to Nyanga police station.
Now residents have to travel to Nyanga police station, about 10 km away. A return trip cost R20, a lot of money for the working-class community.
Police on Tuesday told Scrolla.Africa the occupation of the identified Browns Farm Community Centre “is currently being considered”.
Police spokesperson Andre Traut said: “This process is still underway and timelines cannot be provided at this stage.”
Traut confirmed that Philippi train station satellite police station “was decommissioned due to the fact that the building was no longer suitable to accommodate our services”.
He then passed the buck: “This aspect is however a national matter and best addressed by the National Media Centre.”
National police have not responded by the time of going to print.
Pictured above: The Decommissioned Browns Farm satellite police station
Image source: Sandiso Phaliso
