Port Elizabeth’s historic Central district is in a state of crisis with rampant crime, “untouchable” drug lords, hundreds of used and discarded heroin needles, prostitution, filthy streets and abandoned buildings, along with an epidemic of rats “the size of small dogs”.
This emerged in a charged public meeting held in the council chambers at the Port Elizabeth City Hall on Tuesday, where the dire and worsening state of the suburb was never in dispute.
Central is a key pillar of Nelson Mandela Bay’s tourism industry and is home to some of its most important historical sites.
The meeting, aimed at finding solutions, was chaired by Ward 5 councillor Sandile Rwexana, who made it clear that the time for talk was over.
Those present were in agreement that drastic and immediate action was needed, with a call for a two-month total lockdown by police of Central an indication of the extent of the challenges faced in the suburb.
The meeting came ahead of the February 28 deadline for the establishment of a Special Rates Area or City Improvement District for Central which, if implemented, is expected to make huge inroads in addressing the challenges.
Central includes large sections of residential areas and Port Elizabeth’s Central Business District.
More than 400 signatures are still required to legally implement the SRA – which was widely accepted by those at the meeting as one of the solutions required for the area.
Representatives of community police forums, the traffic and fire departments, the SA Police Service, the Central SRA committee, municipal waste management, the Mandela Bay Development Agency, business owners and residents were among those present.
Representatives from departments such as human settlements came under fire for their absence.
The most pressing challenges facing the suburb were said to include:
● The area is now a drug-dealing and drug-usage hotspot, with dealing taking place openly daily;
● A significant increase in crime, including car break-ins, attacks on tourists and business robberies;
● General lawlessness and alcohol openly consumed in public;
● Serious waste management issues and illegal dumping which have led to widespread littering and a general state of filth;
● A major vagrancy problem, which exacerbates littering, coupled with a large number of derelict, abandoned buildings;
● A serious rat infestation, which was acknowledged by municipal representatives;
● A catastrophic drop in property values of up to 60%, which has cost owners millions of rands; and
● It is no longer safe for pupils to walk to some of the schools in Central.
Two businesswomen, one a guesthouse owner operating in Cuyler Street and the other a restaurateur in Pearson Street, described the rats as “the size of cats”, while another resident said they were the size of small dogs.
“We are losing business because of the filth and the rubbish and the crime,” Carla O’Connell, who was also commenting on behalf of restaurant owner Ada Scarnera, said.
“Last week, there were attacks on tourists, and this week we dealt with a man who ran in saying he had been kidnapped.
“Customers’ cars get broken into, we cannot operate businesses like this.”
Property owner and businessman Adriaan Haman – who later showed reporters a shockingly filthy drug-den area in lower Central littered with hundreds of needles used for heroin “spiking” – compared Central to Johannesburg’s notorious Hillbrow area.
Greenwood Primary School principal Gary Pike said needles used for drugs had been found discarded on the school grounds and it was also no longer safe for the pupils to walk to the school alone.
They had been encouraged to walk in groups instead.
The meeting ended with a consensus that a massive, coordinated effort involving municipal departments, law enforcement agencies, building owners and the implementation of an SRA was required, among things, to address the challenges.
Follow-up meetings will be held to develop a strategy and implement the plans.