JSE listed company takes charge

Premier Foods’ flour mill on the border between Salt River and Observatory has taken the first step towards solving the long-standing problem of enormous truck pushing their way through Observatory’s narrow roads.

The JSE listed company, owners of Snowflake flour which is produced at the mill, has recently hired property from Transnet as a base to park their trucks while they wait to get inside the mill. Up till now, the big trucks have been clogging the roads, including Lower Scott Road, as they queued for their slot at the mill.

Local ward councillor Brett Herron announced recently that he, the Mill, and the Observatory Improvement District (Obsid) have been working together to solve the problem. At a recent public meeting about traffic issues organised by the Obsid, he said: "Premier Mill is going to buy some property (next to Chatham Road), which will give them the turning space into their mill."

He was referring to the fact that the trucks are forced to travel through Obs to get to the mill because the bend at the junction of Lower Main and Malta Road is too sharp for the huge trucks to turn.

Brett said a detailed design which for trucks to access Chatham Road from Malta Road, was recently presented to the mill’s board.

Residents at the Obsid’s “traffic indaba” asked Brett whether the trucks will then be denied access down Lower Scott Road. He replied that there was no need, as Premier “is not being difficult, they are actually working with us."
The company clammed up when ObsLife tried to get details of the plans. But its public relations agency said there were three phases. The first phase was to rent the land for trucks to park while waiting to enter the mill. They did not want to comment on the second and third phases because negotiations are still under way.

ObsLife believes this entails the land purchase to create access via Malta Road.
A press release quoting Kobus Wiese, Premier Foods’ milling director, read: “Having our delivery trucks stuck in traffic is not only frustrating but very costly as far as time, fuel and emissions are concerned. We saw an opportunity to alleviate some of the local traffic congestion when a property adjacent to the milling plant became available for rent from Transnet.”
Brian Amery, former COO at the Obsid, said at the Obsid annual general meeting: "What is happening is that the mill is going to be buying some land on Chatham Street so that the trucks can come off Malta Road. They’re going to make a landing base there and they won’t have to come through Observatory.”

Addition to the Woodstock fleet

WOODSTOCK Police say Observatory will see more police visibility now that the Woodstock precinct has recently received two extra vehicles to their fleet, bringing the total from 19 vans to 21.

But local crime watchers were sceptical about the levels of visibility of the police in the area.
Sergeant Hilton Malila, the media liaison for the precinct, said that more vans will be deployed in the crime plagued areas, including Observatory, which accounts for most of the crime in the Woodstock precinct.
The police station has also received two quad bikes for patrols on Devil’s Peak.
Hilton said that Observatory has two police patrol vans during the day and night, and over weekends, four or five vehicles patrol the area. He said that the vans focus on Polo, Arnold, Cooke and Robins Road because of the high crime volumes in those roads. Hilton said for the same reason, Main Road gets a lot of attention over weekends.
But Frank Schuitermaker, an Obs resident and anti-crime activist, said there is often a discrepancy between what the police promise and what is carried out. He pointed to a recent promise during the anti-drug march in Salt River last month that the Police would patrol inside the Shelley Road Sport Park daily to stop the blatant drug trade there, but during a recent public Community Police Forum meeting complaints emerged that these patrols were not done. He was sceptical about the constant presence of two police vans in Observatory.

But Ursula van Stavel, COO of the Observatory Improvement District, said that she hears the activity over the radio and the police are very active over the weekends.

Is this the end for the ONW?

Has the Observatory Neighbourhood Watch (ONW) reached its sell-by date? After an hour of back-and-forth deliberation about who should take over as chair, a committee was formed at the recent ONW annual general meeting (AGM) to keep the dying organisation alive.
Nearly all of the sixteen people present were nominated, but none of the nominees wanted to stand as chair, or be part of the committee. This election continued for an hour until a decision was made. James Cowley, the outgoing ONW chair, had resigned from the position, and therefore was unable to take up the position for another term.
The newly formed committee consists of the chair, Trevor Hughes, local activist and restaurateur, deputy chair, Howard Richman from The Green Elephant Backpackers, secretary Debra West, and treasurer, Vivian Yang, who were all very reluctant to stand, but did so to keep the organisation going.
The ONW only has six active street patrollers, who are the regular anti-crime activists, but it seems that the younger generation are disinterested in the ONW and the call for new members went in vain, with the membership numbers dropping, said James.
The general feeling at the AGM was that the Observatory Improvement District's public safety patrollers had taken over the role of the ONW, and may be the leading cause of the ONW’s deterioration.
The ONW have had many successes over the last two years. Since last year, 194 patrols have been done in and around Observatory. Of the 194 patrols, 124 were performed this year, said James.
But negative forces working against the ONW were stronger. Membership as well as the number of active patrollers dropped. Residents have become complacent, because of the public safety patrollers and don’t find it necessary to participate.
To add to the ONW’s problems, it emerged that the registration of the ONW had been misplaced, which means that the organisation needs to reregister in order to form part of the community police forum.
Businesses and residents helped donate the two-way radios to the ONW, including a R100 000 antenna, which will no longer serve much purpose. The patrol radios provided by the ONW to the police have been inactive since April.
In another blow, the ONW is also losing its direct communication with the Obsid’s safety patrollers, who have switched to digital radios. The ONW will still have contact with the control room to call for back-up. Brian Amery, former Obsid COO, said that this may not be a bad thing because the control room has a direct line to the police, and this may be even faster.
The ONW was started by Brian Gray and David Raphael five years ago to combat the high volumes of crime in Observatory. David Raphael was chair of the ONW for a while before James Cowley took the position. 

Oldest business in Obs turns 102

ONE hundred and two years later and the oldest business in Observatory is still open and ready for business.
Himat Makanjee Parag, 73, has been the owner of Makanjee's shoe store since he was 12 years old. He took over the business, Corner Rochester and Robins Road, when his brother died at 29 years old in 1951.
His family is originally from India, but emigrated to Durban when his father moved down to Stanger. After their father died in Durban, their uncle who owned Makanjee's called them down as they were destitute in Durban, and they then started working for him. His brother later took over the store after the death of his uncle.
Himat was born in the Mekanjee's home in Obs and he says that when they started the shop, it was one quarter of the size that it is now.
He said that he was forced to take over the shop at 12 when his brother died because there was no one else. He tells how he struggled to keep the shop afloat. Because he couldn’t drive, he lost many clients in the Goodwood area to which his brother used to deliver. He also had to divide his attention between the shop and his school work, which he continued till grade eight.
In 1964, at the age of 21, Himat got married and later became a father of five sons and one daughter.
Himat proudly tells of their success. They count among them an eye specialist, a SARS manager, an attorney, and recently his son Raj was appointed CEO of FNB Wealth. Himat said that he never had the chance to better his education, "it was maybe not for me...I never had it, so I gave it to my children".
Before, Makanjee's only repaired shoes, but now they sell shirts, ties, shoes as well.
Himat said that business is slow and that it used to be good, but with all the boutiques and factory shops starting in the area, as well as the recession, his business has taken a knock, but he says that he still has a fair amount of clients.

New OCA chair

OBSERVATORY has been taken by storm by Emile Young, an Obs resident of six years who, in the space of a few months, has become chair of the Observatory Improvement District's (Obsid's) HR committee, deputy chair on the Woodstock Community Police Forum (CPF), and most recently the chair of the Observatory Civic Association (OCA).
Emile, 55, a project management consultant with a varied career, has not been active in Obs community structures until this year.
Emile says that she was urged to get involved by the 96-year-old with whom she lives in Arnold Street. Her “Gogo”, as she calls her “adopted grandmother”, told her to use her extensive experience to become active in Observatory. Her experience includes local government economic planning and public administration.
Because of Emile's financial background, and expertise in the business field, she aims to bring these skills into the OCA, by taking on a business approach to running the civic. Her first priority is to come up with a strategy to turn around the ailing organisation. The OCA has suffered a loss of membership ever since the establishment of the Observatory Improvement District. Emile believes that this is because of confusion in the minds of Obs residents over the functions of the OCA on the one hand and the Obsid on the other.
The danger is that the Obsid may wipe out the OCA as it dominates the issues which were once dealt with by the OCA. A strategy is needed to clarify the roles and enliven the OCA once more. She says that one meeting will be held before the end of the year, and she is planning a strategy workshop early next year.
Apart from her OCA plans, Emile oversees HR, auditing and governance of the Obsid as one of seven board members.
Concerning her work at the Woodstock CPF, she describes her role as one of monitoring and raising Obs issues at the forum. She says the fact that the Woodstock Police seldom attend the Obs Community Police subforum meetings is a serious problem.
Emile now considers Observatory to be her home. She studied numerous degrees at Stellenbosch University, ranging from anthropology to African studies. Emile said she has never stopped studying.
After a stint as a teacher in Bishop Lavis and Belhar, she became an economic town planner for various coastal towns. She also designed a performance-management system for the North West Province.
Emile's reason for choosing Obs was "because I like it." So much so, that she would only live in Cape Town if she could live in Observatory, "the best suburb in Cape Town." Emile said she wants to keep the village atmosphere and keep the close-knit community in Obs.

Where to buy drugs in Obs?

Interviews by ObsLife with recovering local drug addicts has revealed a fascinating picture of a lively and brazen drug trade in the village, controlled mainly by two mid-ranking dealers.
Getting drugs in Obs is as easy as walking into a club and asking who sells. 
Heroin, tik, marijuana and buttons seem to be popular among the users in Observatory, and a fix, which is about 30grams can cost from R30 upwards.
ObsLife managed to interview two recovering drug- addicts who bought and used drugs in Observatory. Their names cannot be revealed for their safety. They painted a detailed picture of the brazen drug trade in Obs, and how drugs are traded on street corners and in clubs. .
According to the recovering addicts, who were interviewed separately and did not know each other prior to their rehabilitation, most of the street-corner dealing that they knew of took place on the corner of Norfolk and Lower Main, the corner of Nuttal and Station Road and at the bus-stop on the corner of Station and Main Road. 
They also described how drug trade takes place in  Mezani's on the corner of Trill and Main Road, Cozy Bar in Lower Main Road, Groove Lounge in Lower Main Road, and Oriental Pub and Restaurant in Main Road. .
Cozy Bar apparently has a reputation for cheap, low-quality drugs, while the dealers working around Mezani and Oriental offer “good quality stuff”.  Mezani was also mentioned as the main storage place for drugs. This ties in with a drug bust earlier this year in which the police arrested two suspected drug dealers at the club.
One of the recovering addicts, who named Obs his "playground" and has been a user for 18 years, said that there are two main dealers who operate in Observatory. They are not the only dealers, but they are best known for the consistent quality of their drugs. 
The recovering addicts described how drugs are traded on the spot, as a simple swop of money and merchandise. Asked if there were any evasive tricks such as paying for the drugs on one spot and collecting it at another, they said the only precaution the street-level dealers take is to keep a packet of the drugs in their months so that they can swallow it if they are raided.
He said that he believes that the police are in cahoots with the dealers, because they know who the dealers are they see the transactions taking place, but they don't arrest the dealers, instead they arrest the buyers. "The police are in it 100 percent...there's no doubt in my mind". One of the addicts described how every Sunday, dealers would hand out a free packet of drugs, called “boosters” to their regular buyers.
He said that as far as he knows, not much dealing takes place from houses in Observatory. , but mentioned a house in Lower Scott Road and in Baker Street.

Obs Junior astronomy club champions

OBS Junior School boasts an astronomy club which has successfully made it through all four rounds of the regional astronomy quiz competition, beating 80 schools, to represent the Western Cape at the nationals in Gauteng in October.
Every year, Obs Junior joins the quiz to encourage grade-seven learners to consider a science and maths path in high school.
Obs Junior teacher Margaret Rosberg, who has been running the club since 2007, says that astronomy incorporates science in a fun way. “We hope that they will follow a science career once they leave school,” she said. 

Observatory welcomes a Ward committee

FORMER Obs Improvement District COO Brian Amery has called on residents to use the newly formed ward committee as a way of communicating long-term problems and ideas with the City.
Brian is the Observatory representative on the new Ward 57 committee, under which Obs falls.
Ward committees are representative structures set up in terms of the Local Government Municipal Structures Act. They are a consultative committee established to assist councillors with strategic ward-related issues. 
Ward committees in the City of Cape Town serve for a term of five years, and Ward 57 councillor Brett Herron, who was elected last year, recently put together his local committee for the new term. 
Brian was nominated onto the committee by the Observatory Civic Association. He is one of eight community representatives, each representing a different part of Ward 57. 
At the first meeting of the Ward 57 Ward Committee, Brett consulted the committee members on ward-allocation projects.
The City gives about R700 000 per year to each ward councillor for spending on local ward projects.  The ward committee helped Brett compile a list of projects.
Brian says he put forward a wish list of 63 items ranging from a heating system for the municipal swimming pool, to a four-way speed hump at the intersection of Trill and Lower Main Road.
The committee recently discussed the wish list, and a few of Brian’s ideas were flagged as implementable. The next step is for Brett to finalise which projects will be chosen and submit them to Subcouncil 15, under which Ward 57 falls, for approval. 
Feedback about what has been prioritised will be given at the next ward committee meeting, set for November.
Brian says a few Observatory projects which he feels have a good chance of making it onto the final list, include the raised Trill Road intersection and park benches. 
Brian says he is available to act as a channel of communication to Brett and the City Council, but not for petty issues such as potholes that need to be fixed. Those issues can be raised through the C3 complaints monitoring system of the City by emailing contactus@capetown.gov.za or SMSing 31373. 
Contact Brian at amery@iafrica.com
See www.obslife.co.za for progress on already committed ward projects.

Crime down, but now complacency rears head

CRIME is down in Observatory, says Ursula van Stavel, Observatory Improvement District’s (OBSID’s) COO, but she warns that complacency has taken hold among residents and is threatening the survival of community-driven safety initiatives. 
Ursula said perceptions are that crime is decreasing, but added that she was still awaiting the latest official statistics from the Woodstock police to confirm. 
It is clear, though, that Observatory is still the highest contributor to crime in the Woodstock precinct, mostly because of the high volumes of theft out of motor vehicles. This happens mainly when objects are left visible in cars.
Ursula believes that an unfortunate spin off of the lower general crime levels is complacency among residents. 
This has had a devastating effect on community-driven safety initiatives, such as the Observatory Neighbourhood Watch (ONW). 
She constantly tries to recruit members to the ONW and makes an urgent call on the community to sign up. 
Ursula said crime in Observatory tends to come in waves, and the latest is a spate of house-breaking in the past month.    
She says that most of the criminals are young males from Salt River and are often addicted to drugs.  
The Observatory Public Safety (OPS) patrols have identified the Shelley Road soccer field as an escape route for criminals, because of a broken fence that leads onto Robins Road. Ursula has approached Brett Herron, Ward 57 Councillor, about the possibility to have access closed off at night.
Because night-time crime tends to increase during summer, the OBSID plans to strengthen its night-time patrols.
 The OBSID’s public safety function will be strengthened by three recruits from the Chrysalis Academy, which rehabilitates young adults who are at risk of falling into a life of crime. 
Ursula says Chrysalis runs a highly successful programme in training youngsters to turn their lives around. The three interns will join the patrols in November.
The OBSID’s daily routine is to meet with the OPS to discuss the previous night’s incidents, and identifying the crime hotspots. This information is then used to work out where the patrols should be concentrated and where the mobile patrolling station should be placed. 
Commenting on the patrollers recent brave pursuit of armed robbers, Ursula said that yet again they have performed beyond the call of duty and that they are “totally dedicated to their work”. 
Ursula said one of the biggest problems experienced with the OBSID’s public safety project is the language barrier between the control room and callers from the community. Often calls are misunderstood or aren’t conveyed properly to the patrollers, because the centre operator struggles with English. 
Ursula has requested that the security contractor appoints a control-room operator who is fluent in English.

Bustling Obs library starts its own book club

The Observatory library was chosen as a pilot site for a library-based book club, and hosts book club meetings on the first Saturday of each month. 
Nadia Ismail, the librarian in charge of the book club, says the project was kept very low-key in the pilot phase, which ran from April to September. The idea of library book clubs is currently under review, and will continue as usual until the City makes its final decision. If the project works, the City will be launching a book-club system for all libraries by next year.
Nadia said that it is a very informal book club, and there are about ten regular members. They’ve managed to read widely, from romances by JR Ward to the memoirs of the Duke of Windsor.
The book club meets every first Saturday from 9.30am to 10.30 am at the library.  
Meanwhile, a Sub-council 15 quarterly library report revealed that Obs library had 8741 visitors from April to June, up from 7110 people in the previous quarter.  Nadia says the library is traditionally busier in the winter months than in summer. The library’s membership now stands at about 6 000. In the last quarter, 99 new members signed up.
Apart from the usual books, CDs, DVDs and newspapers, the library also offers free internet access to members. 
The library provides residents with holiday activities for the children as well as weekly story telling sessions, and the Friends of Obs Library knit baby beanies and socks for the Mowbray maternity ward. 

Lytton Road residents take charge of their security

LYTTON Road residents are taking initiative to combat the crime in their street by raising funds to install CCTV cameras on certain houses.
The residents have been holding meetings to raise R33 000 for 14 CCTV cameras. With 50 homes in the street, this could theoretically be raised if each household contributes R660. 
David Raphael, a Lytton Road resident and former Observatory Neighbourhood Watch chair, said that the impetus for the project was a recent incident in which 20 tyres were punctured in the street. 
So far, R9 000 has been raised for the cameras from residents and from the Green Elephant Backpackers on the corner of Lytton and Milton Road.
David said that a camera will be placed on the front of certain houses. 
Green Elephant owner Howard Richman has offered the security system of his business as the monitoring station for the cameras. But David said that soon they may find a dedicated monitoring station for the project.  
The minutes of the meetings held so far have gone up on the project’s own website, www.lyttonroad.co.za. 
The cameras they are aiming for will have night vision and motion sensors, said David. 

Repairs start on Barmooda building

THE gutted Barmooda building is finally being repaired after months of delay following the petrol bombing of the controversial nightclub. 
The building on the corner of Lower Main Road and Station Road has been an eyesore since the arson attack at the end of June this year. 
Renovation was set to start in September, but was delayed because the Zhauns Property Group, the company which owns the Barmooda building, was negotiating with the insurance company over whose contractors would do the work. 

It was finally decided that the insurance company would appoint contractors to repair the building, and Precision Maintenance Services (PMS) from Heathfield recently started the contract. They are currently removing rubble and cleaning the building before starting repairs. 
Ash Almed from the Zhauns Property Group estimated that the job would be finished in about five months. 
They have reiterated that Barmooda would not return as tenant. 

Missing man not kidnapped

THE mystery that gripped Observatory after 43-year-old Paule-Henry Botha, a resident of Cranko Road, disappeared on his morning jog dissolved when the Woodstock Police viewed CCTV footage of him withdrawing money and boarding a train at the Cape Town Station.
Overstretched Woodstock policemen had to spend hours requesting and searching through footage after distraught housemates of the Observatory-based chef reported him missing. 
On the day of his disappearance, R 3000 was withdrawn from his account at Cape Town station and fear gripped Observatory as desperate missing-person alerts were circulated. But fears that he had been kidnapped evaporated after the footage showed him calmly boarding a long-distance train by himself.
Hilton Malila, media liaison for the Woodstock police, said that the police closed the case after seeing the footage, saying that he clearly left of his own free will. Bank ATM footage, as well as CCTV coverage of the Cape Town station, showed Paule carrying two tog bags, and wore a yellow jacket and blue jeans. 
This was different from the jogging clothes in which his best friend and house mate, Jana Cloete, saw him last. Jana and her network went through harrowing days and nights as they desperately searched for their missing friend. She took off work to search. Paule’s employers, for whom he worked as a chef and butler, had hired an expensive private detective. 
Paule's former partner flew down to Cape Town from Johannesburg to help with the search, and even called in the help of a psychic. 
On the morning of Paule’s alleged abduction, he dropped Jana and her boyfriend at the Obs train station. It was the last time she would see Paule, who was dressed for his usual morning jog.
Jana sounded the alert when Paule did not return home, and she saw his car keys, cell phone and work clothes laid out in his room as though he had never returned from his jog. 
While the search was still under way, Jana became emotional when she told ObsLife that she sent him many emails just in case he had run away, but was convinced that he would not do such a thing.
But after the news emerged of the CCTV footage, she responded to ObsLife’s questions via email: “I am tired, tired, tired. I don't really know what I feel. I do know I am so thankful that he is alive and not hurt or in trouble somewhere. I also know that it must have not been easy for him and something pushed him to it. I am feeling sorry for him and hope that he will be OK. He must be going through hectic emotions, I imagine, or perhaps not? I cannot say. I don't know if any of us really ever get to know other people. People scare me a bit now."

Dramatic chase as drug sting goes wrong

THE lively drug trade bubbling barely below the surface in Obs burst out into the open when a suspect fled a police operation, raced down Trill Road in an Opel Corsa and rammed into a stationary car in front of Mimi in Lower Main Road.
The Claremont crime intelligence unit and the Mowbray Police were involved in what appears to be a police sting gone wrong. 
One Police source said weeks of detective work was wasted when a search of the suspect’s car revealed nothing.
The chase started outside Mezani Lounge in Main Road and involved several police vehicles. Lower Main between Trill and Station Road was instantly blocked off when the suspect smashed into the car.
The man, an unidentified foreign national, was cornered by four police vans and one private car, and a plain-clothes detective searched the vehicle. He ripped out floorboards, door panels, lifted seats, and checked below the car.
The suspect, believed to be a bartender at Mezani, was argumentative and kept on shouting at the police. He also argued with the owner of the maroon Ford into which he crashed. 
He did not have drivers licence, and said the car belonged to his brother.
He was arrested when he tried to bar the police from continuing the search on his car. He was taken to the Mowbray police station, but was later released. 

50 Year old sewerage system

THE City denies that the 50-year-old sewerage system in Observatory is the underlying cause of the exponential increase in e.coli levels in the Liesbeek River, but an expert in charge of maintaining the river says that the sewerage system is under strain and does require maintenance or an upgrade.
Recently, figures from the Sub-council 15 report showed a huge rise in the e.coli levels in the Liebeek River. E.coli, a common bacterium in the human digestive system, is not necessarily a problem, but high e.coli levels may be an indication of risk because disease-causing germs are most likely to be associated with increasing counts. The report warned people not to swim or fish in the river.
The sewerage system used in Observatory dates back fifty years and is built out of pipes made from a glazed type of clay almost like pottery.
Gerald Theron, retired sewerage, water and sanitation manager for the City, said it would cost billions to replace the sewerage system. Not only will the City have to replace the main pipes, but residents will also need to replace their own pipes connecting their plumbing to the City’s system.
Gerald said that it is mostly not the pipes which are the problem, but the joints. The old clay pipes use ropes which are corked into the joints to seal them instead of rubber which are used on the newer pipes.The ropes decay and rot away, causing the joints to leak. The clay also starts to crack due to old age, causing the pipes to leak.
Gerald doubted the link between the increasing e.coli counts in the river and leakage, explaining that the leakage is minimal and that the sewerage flows efficiently to the Raapenberg pump station in Mowbray from where it is pumped to the Athlone wastewater treatment works.
But Jason Mingo, Liesbeek Maintenance Project manager, said: "My personal view on the system is that it is under strain and does require maintenance and possible upgrade.”
He says that from time to time there is “back flow from the sewage system which then spills into the storm water system and by doing so enters our rivers”.
Jason said, however, that these events are “infrequent and isolated” and that it is not justified to blame one factor for the increasing ecoli levels. He mentions increased birdlife as another possible cause of the increase, as well as homeless people living on the banks of the river and pollution carried by wind into the river.
Gerald said that the municipality does spot checks on the pipes by inserting cameras to find cracks or leaking. They are given a budget to fix the pipes in the city, and focus on areas with the most problems. The city will respond to specific complaints from residents, he said.

Obs-home of the quirks

THE Hortishop would probably have been one of the better-known specimens in the village’s quirky menagerie of businesses were they not stuck away in a pokey corner in between some of the dodgier clubs on Lower Main.
Somehow, the kite banner hopefully placed in front of the shop every day does nothing for its visibility. Despite a name change to Hortishop two years ago, the previous name Gro-shop still adorns the entrance.
But if the co-owner and manager Trevor Owen’s description is anything to go by, it is doing a roaring trade. This probably has to do with the fact that it is the only hydroponics shop in Cape Town since 2003.
Hydroponics is a method of growing plants using mineral nutrient solutions, in water, without soil. Hortishop sells soil, nutrients, beds and tools to grow ones own hydroponics garden, and the shop extends to the back garden where they have their own hydroponics garden and where they garden organically too.
Even though the shop has changed its name is hidden in a corner along Lower Main Road, and even after they had merged and changed their named from Gro-shop to Hortishop two years ago, Gro-shop is still the advertised name at their shop.
A kite banner is at the entrance of the shop . The shop is managed by co-owner Trevor Owen and forms part of a business that has outlets in Johannesburg, KZN and George.
Trevor grew up in Birmingham, England, later ventured to work in Spain where he met and started dating a South African woman. They then left Spain and moved to South Africa and fell in love with the people and the country. Trevor is a fomer Obs resident. “I won’t live in England again permanently, will only go there on holiday. South Africa's my home,” he said.
When ObsLife asked Trevor why base the shop in Obs he said: ''This is the right place to start a business. It's got the right sort of people who want to grow their own vegetables, want to grow their own herbs. The people in the city more shop at the supermarket and people down here have their own food gardens going, there's a community garden,” said Trevor, and joked: “There's a lot of students around here, they like to grow their favourite plants.”
Apart from hydroponics, the Hortishop also advises people with worm farming and organic gardening.
The Little Growers is a charity project organised and sponsored by the Hortishop to help under-privileged orphanages and schools to grow their own vegetable gardens. They assisted with the Obs Junior School's garden seven years ago, and is currently helping a school in Thornton.
Volunteers are always needed for the Little Growers project. Trevor says people are needed to either donate their time, or if unable to do so, donate equipment and materials to make these projects possible.
Hortishop has also introduced a mineral water range to aid the Little Growers project. They are needing outlets to stock the mineral water, charging R10 per 750ml and R7.50 per 500ml. All proceeds raised will go towards the project.

Rock it out

OBSERVATORY is home to the largest indoor rock climbing facility in South Africa, which was started on the corner of Collingwood and Anson Road ten years ago.
City Rock is owned by climbing enthusiasts Robert Breyer and Charles Edelstein. Observatory was the location of choice due to it being very central for many as well as being close to various outdoor rock climbing areas.
Tarryn Maclean, the gym manager, said it often happens that Observatory residents are unaware of City Rock and accidentally stumble into the premises in search of something else and are amazed at what they had found. The premises are situated in the industrial area of Observatory, and do not hint at any rock climbing facilities from the outside, looking exactly like any one of the small factories in the street.
Tarryn, who has been working for City Rock for eight and a half years, says that they receive many clients from Obs, especially the foreign students who have experience in rock climbing.
The business has picked up a lot over the last three years, she says, with people becoming more aware of it. The hosting of kiddies parties has also boosted turnover.
They currently have 25 personnel and 500 members, including famous climbers, such as Paul Robertson, Marius Smigelski, Joe Mole, and Matthew Bush.
City Rock offers three styles of rock climbing - top rope, where the ropes are already set up for the climber; bouldering, which is about climbing large boulders two to four meters off the ground without ropes, and sport-lead-climbing, where a team of climbers use clips as they ascend.
Lead climbing gives more of a thrill for the climber because it is riskier.
City Rock, with its high walls covered in brightly coloured grips, offers 190 different climbing routes, including caves, spread over 450 square meters of climbing wall and a further 250 square meter bouldering area. The most difficult route is graded 27.
Tarryn says the climbing equipment shop at City Rock is the largest in South Africa. Members or visitors who don’t have their own gear can hire it at R50 per session.
Apart from lessons for first-time climbers, at R200 each, yoga classes are also offered.
At City Rock kiddies parties, held for six or more, the children climb for one and half hours. Gear and facilitators are included.
City Rock opens seven days a week. Monday to Thursday they are open from 9am to 9pm, Fridays they open from 9am to 6pm, and Saturday, Sunday and public holidays, they open from 10am to 6pm.

70 year old proves that you're never too old

Alison Gathercole proves that neither Obs nor entrepreneurship is the preserve of the youth. At age seventy, she opened a new business at the Gateway to Obs centre where Lower Main meets Main Road.
Alison worked as a bookkeeper for many years, and decided to start the new venture when she completed a nail technician course. This led her to team up with three fellow course-goers and start Alison’s Nail Boutique.
She had to fight her family's concern and disapproval, but at the recent launch, her son Michael Gathercole, expressed his pride in her achievement. "I am also proud of myself, but don't tell anyone," Alison joked to ObsLife.
Although it has been a slow start to business, Alison says she is positive about the business picking up. Her salon offers acrylic or gel nail enhancements, manicures, pedicures, waxing, eyebrows and lashes, massages and facial treatments.
Call 021 447 1181 to book an appointment.

Unarmed Obs guard chases shooting robbers

OBSERVATORY Improvement District security guard Henry Moyeni, 37, was in the sixth hour of his shift when he passed two young men in Trill Road who greeted him cheerfully. Little did he know that in less than five minutes he would be ducking for his life in a wild chase after them.  
After passing the men, Henry entered James Road where a man rushed hysterically towards him shouting that his shop, the Mini Market in Station Road, had just been armed robbed. 
Henry realised that men he had just passed may be the robbers, and gave chase down Lower Main Road.
He caught up with them at Sussex Road, where Henry, just three metres away from the robbers, ducked for his life when one of them pulled out a gun and fired it. 
The robbers turned up Norfolk Road in the direction of KFC, and Henry followed cautiously. 
He radioed Ivor Manuel, the senior patroller on duty, to assist him from the patrol vehicle. Ivor radioed the Mowbray police who were in the area at the time. 
Henry was able to monitor the movements of the robbers and kept the others informed via radio. 
The police and patrollers met up at McDonalds and preceded to chase the robbers towards the Groote Schuur graveyard. 
The armed robber got stuck when he tried to scale the graveyard fence, and dropped the gun in the process. 
He was arrested and handed over to the Woodstock police, who found that he was a former SANDF soldier. 
The gun, 45 mm Griffin, belongs to the State. It contained seven bullets, five solid and two hollow. 
The second robber disappeared.
The patrollers found the robbers’ bag containing four black gloves, balaclavas, a few airtime vouchers and two rain suits with hoodies which the police says could be linked to a recent mugging. 
They had stolen R 1 000 from the till and R200's worth of airtime vouchers. 
Henry told ObsLife that he was very scared when the shots were fired, but continued nonetheless.
Charl Brooks, the manager of the Observatory Public Safety guards, praised the unarmed guard for going beyond the call of duty and said they would receive a reward.

Sad farewell to mobile clinic

THE Observatory Village Green was recently the last operational site of the Desmond Tutu Tester, a mobile testing station run by the Desmond Tutu Foundation.
The mobile clinic, which tested thousands of South Africans for high blood pressure, HIV, diabetes, hypertension, obesity and TB, has now officially shut down because of the withdrawal of funds from the US.

On a cold and dreary day, Observatory residents and employees lined up patiently to get tested at the mobile clinic, which was organised by the Observatory Improvement District.

The idea of the clinic was to provide a health check to the homeless residents in Obs, as well as to raise general in Observatory awareness about the importance of getting tested and going for regular health checks.

The homeless people who attended the testing each received a toiletry bag which was sponsored by residents and OBSID COO Ursula van Stavel.

The homeless people were tested for TB and have all passed the test and are TB negative.

Ursula said: “This should be done again as there is a great need.” 

Zille to inaugurate Obs chess board

Western Cape premier Helen Zille has confirmed that she will attend the inauguration of the completed communal chess board at the Station Bridge on 24 September.
The Observatory Improvement District (OBSID) is planning a community bring-and-braai at the giant chess board to celebrate its inauguration. OBSID COO Ursula van Stavel says it will be a child-friendly family event. All Obs residents are invited to bring braai or picnic paraphernalia and join in the festivities, which will begin at 9.30am and continue till 3pm.
The once dingy walkway under the Station Road bridge was given a face lift with bright mural art and the large chess board built for residents’ enjoyment.
Anthony Riley, a resident in Observatory, gave up of his time to build the chess board using large concrete slabs. Businesses in Observatory contributed to the project by donating a few hundred rands each to sponsor the giant chess pieces.
Plastic-timber benches were recently added as finishing touches of the project. Ursula says that the OBSID invested in plastic timber as part of its environmentally friendly approach.
With the project already costing OBSID R10 000, the painting of the pillars adjacent to the chess board fell outside of the available budget. Ursula called on businesses and residents to contribute towards the R1 500 needed to complete the beautification.
The chess pieces will be kept at the Social Issues Office of the OBSID at the Observatory Station, which is located some 50m from the chess board. Users will be required to put down a deposit of R50 to play a game of chess.
Ursula said Observatory Junior School's chess club will be using the chess board to practice and play tournaments.

Liesbeek River pollution concern

EXPERTS disagree on the seriousness of an exponential rise in e.coli bacteria in the Liesbeek River as measured opposite the Hartleyvale Stadium, which could indicate that Observatory’s creaking sewerage system is becoming dangerously old.
On the one hand, City officials seem to downplay the significance of the increase in the e.coli count, describing it to a recent Sub-council 15 meeting as “minor” and which is to be expected from a developed area.
On the other hand, Dr Kevin Winter from the Environmental and Geographical Science Department at the University of Cape Town described the increase measured from the year 2000 as an “eye-opener” and a “worrying factor”.
According to a report by the City’s directorate of Roads and Stormwater, water samples taken from the Liesbeek opposite Hartleyvale contained 90 to 950 “colony-forming units” of e.coli. And by 2012 the count had risen to a range of between 100 and 450 000 units.
The official report seems to downplay the increase, saying "the worsening trend is off a very low base". However, the report does state that the river is too polluted for swimming or fishing. The report says there are no environmental implications of the increase and does not recommend that any action be taken. It says that the Hartleyvale monitoring point is the only place shows an increase in e.coli.
In stark contrast, Kevin says: "The graph from the Scientific Services is excellent and a wake-up call for the Friends of the Liesbeek (an environmental organisation to which he belongs). We've taken our eye of the ball. The trend is disturbing."
He reckons the main reasons for the e.coli increase are “surface runoff (rainwater running into the river), storm water drains and from broken or leaking sewerage systems”.
The City report says the increase is "probably the result of periodic failures of an aging sewerage system in a very old catchment area."
However Kevin also reckons that "It is possible that efforts to improve habitat, for example allowing islands to form in the lake, means that there is more roosting grounds for water birds. A rise in e.coli may well be due to an increase in the bird population; an unintended consequence of improvements to the Liesbeek".
Experts says that the presence of e.coli is not necessary the problem, but that it is a useful measurement of the potential presence of other disease-causing organisms. Kevin said: "E.coli is not the problem, since our bodies have millions of e.coli in them. However, the e.coli is an indication of risk because pathogens are most likely to be associated with increasing counts."
However, e.coli may affect those with weakened immune systems in potentially developing a fatal type of kidney failure.

Hungry children in our midst

Residents will be surprised to learn that 590 learners are fed by the Peninsula School Feeding Association (PSFA) every school day at Observatory Junior School and Mary Kihn School for the blind in Observatory. Andy du Plessis, the director of the PSFA, said: "Only 40 Percent of these learners reside in Observatory and the surrounding areas." The feeding scheme comprises of two meals per day, breakfast three times per week and lunch five times per week.

PSFA feeds 326 600 children in the Western Cape. The department of education's subsidy feeds 295 000 children and the 31 600 children are fed from funds which have to be raised.
PSFA was first based in Loop Street Cape Town before relocating to Trill Road in Observatory in 1990. Andy du Plessis, said that they relocated here due to the parking and traffic congestion being an obstacle in Town. “We have found that Observatory is a convenient location to conduct business, as it is very central, without the traffic problems related to going into Cape Town. It is convenient for our donors, partners, and stakeholders to meet,” said Andy.

PSFA have been in operation since 1958, and survived solely from public donations until President Nelson Mandela started the National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP) in 1994.

PSFA serves the children in the schools in this community by providing nutritious meals. Andy du Plessis says: “Our presence in Obs softens the look and feel, along with other NPO's in the vicinity”.

The PSFA has five field workers who check up on the schools to see whether they are being fed the proper meals on each day and whether they are being fed on time. The children are fed different meals each day starting with, rice and lentil breyani with vegetables, samp and beans with fresh fruit, rice and soya mince with vegetables, rice and pilchards with vegetables and on a Friday, samp and soya mince with vegetables.

Dry products are delivered three times a term to the schools for their preparation. These schools recruit unemployed parents or volunteers are sent to help prepare the food for the children.

Obs residents can get involved by volunteering to cook at either Obs Junior or Mary Kihn School, or if unable to do so, you can adopt a child for a year, make a monthly donation, or you can adopt a school. Donations can be made online, www.psfa.org.za.

The offices in Observatory comprises of nine employees who form part of the admin staff. The double storey house which was converted into offices was bought by the PSFA when they moved from the CBD. Stephanie Le Mesurier PR and security of PSFA said: "We will remain here until...well a sad fact...there's no more hungry children to feed."

Battery theft back?

BATTERY theft seems to be on the rise once following a lull after a spate in which at least sixty batteries were stolen from cars parked in Observatory last year.
Frank Schuitemaker, an Obs resident who compiles local crime statistics drawn from the Obsid Public Safety patrollers, the Obs Neighbourhood Watch and word-of-mouth, has logged three battery thefts in August.
Scott Road was targeted recently, where a battery was stolen out of a resident’s bakkie. According to a neighbour, Debra West, this is the fourth time that this has happened and that it has cost her neighbours thousands of rands to replace.
Frank reports that motor vehicle theft has also increased to six cases from four in the previous month. The vehicles are mostly stolen at night.
Theft out of motor vehicles has decreased from a spike of 27 to 14 thefts over the past month. Frank says that half of these occurrence on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and half happen in the mornings.
Robberies have increased from seven to ten incidents in the last month. They seem to happen mostly on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
Frank has also recorded 12 incidents of copper piping theft, mostly from Scott and Oxford Street.
Based in the figures, Frank has identified the following streets as crime "hot-spots" during August (the number of incidents in brackets): Lower main Road (26), Oxford Road (17), Scott Road (14), Station Road (11), Trill Road, Arnold and Polo Road (9 each), Milton Road (7), Rochester Road (6), and James Road, Donne Road, Main Road, Bowden Road, Irwell Street and Wrench Road (4 each).

7-Storey block going up in Howe Street

A MAJOR development on an empty plot of land in Howe Street will add no fewer than 123 apartments to Observatory’s slowing increasing number of living spaces.
Aquacor Property Developers, the company developing the two blocks of one- and two-bedroom flats, claims that 60% of the units have been sold off-plan already for prices ranging from R575 000 to R1,2m.
Aquacor’s Dustin Stringfellow assured Howe Street residents, who are unhappy about lack of parking in the street due to the presence of Woolworths Financial Services, that the development will have no impact on the parking situation. “All the parking will be within the property,” he said. There will basement parking for every resident, and one visitor’s parking space for every four flats.
The first of the blocks, a three-storey building, is set to be completed by May next year, while the second, a seven-storey giant, is due for completion in August next year.
Dustin said the development has drawn keen interest from investors who want to rent out the flats. 

Traffic Indaba

The Observatory Improvement District (OBSID) is holding a major “traffic indaba” at the Observatory Community Centre in October at which the community can get first-hand feedback from the authorities on perennial traffic problems plaguing the suburb.
Some of the sorest pain points of life in Observatory relate to traffic, including speeding, illegal parking, broken or non-visible traffic signs, congestion and huge trucks from the industrial side of the village trying to make their way through the narrow Obs streets.
These issues are constantly raised by residents to the OBSID, which plans to put together a panel of representatives from the Metro Police, City Traffic and the Police to face the community at the indaba, which will start at 10am on Saturday, 20 October.
Local ward councillor Brett Herron, who also happens to be the member of the mayoral committee in charge of Cape Town’s roads, will also be on the panel.
However, OBSID COO Ursula van Stavel says she is wary of the meeting degenerating into a complaining session dominated by a handful of angry residents.
Therefore, the plan is to gather written questions and complaints from the community about traffic issues by 1 October. These will be compiled and handed to the panel members so that they can research and prepare answers for the community. The idea is that the authorities are able to give concrete plans and progress reports to the community at the meeting.
There will be an opportunity for residents to question the panel at the end of their presentations.
Ursula said: "I want it to be a win-win situation...no one’s going to ambush anyone at the meeting."
She called on anyone with a traffic complaint or question to submit it to the OBSID in writing before 1 October. No verbal complaints will make it onto the agenda.
Send your traffic complaints, questions and suggestions to Ursula at COO@obsid.org.za

Slow take-up of Obs Party Shuttle

A SLOW start to the take-up of the Obs Party Shuttle, a bus for revellers who want to shuttle between Obs’s nightlife and party spots in town, has forced the owners to add additional routes to the service.
The Obs Party Shuttle, owned by local entrepreneur Hazel Waltons and driver Muhammed Bazier, now also goes to Claremont and Greenpoint.
The service was launched in July for those who want to "party responsibly" without having to worry about drunk driving. The original route formed a circle between Obs and the CBD on Friday and Saturday nights between 9pm and 4am.
Muhammed said recent bad weather contributed partly to the slow take-up, but many are still unaware of the service.
Muhammed says that Friday nights are busier, but only after 11pm and depending on the weather. He says that about 25 to 30 people use the shuttle at this hour and only 4 to 6 people use the shuttle at 10pm.
The minibus tends to fill up from Obs to the CBD, but not on the return trip. Revellers in Long Street, the main City Bowl destination for the bus, are not as familiar with the shuttle.
Saturday nights are less popular, with only six to eight regulars using the shuttle service.
He said because of demand, he now includes Claremont and Green Point. "If I have to, then I do," said Muhammed. He says this usually happens because Obs is quiet by 1am.
Petrol has increased, but Muhammed said the same prices remains. He charges R15 for a one-way trip to Town, R25 for a trip to Claremont from Obs, and R20 for a one-way trip to Trinity in Greenpoint.
Muhammed is positive that the service will pick up after exams and in summer. "You get your good week-ends and your bad week-ends," said Muhammed.

Empty shops filling up at last

OBZ Square, the new UCT residence on Main Road, is still struggling to let their premises after months of vacancy, but Obs Gateway, the new block at the confluence of Lower Main and Main Road, is filling up with new tenants after years of delay.
Obz Gateway now houses a nail parlour, Alison’s Nail Boutique, a hair salon called Change Room and a tattoo parlour.
This leaves one shop, the largest one, vacant at Obs Gateway. The owner of the building, Robert Gulliver, said that if smaller businesses want to let the premises, he will consider splitting it into two spaces. But he is interested in letting the premises out to a gym or a pawn franchise.
All of the four apartments on the second storey have been rented out, except for one two-bedroom flat going for R6 500 per month.
Meanwhile, Grant Willis, director of UCT student housing, downplays the empty shops at the ground floor of Obz Square by saying that they didn’t expect to fill them within the first months after the opening of the residence in January this year. "Chances were remote to have a full house," he said, adding that UCT wanted to see first what type of clientele applied and whether they were suitable.
Grant says that three prospective tenants have been interviewed, but says it is an on-going process. He also expressed interest in recruiting a gym. Because Obz Square is a student residential complex, Grant says that they want eateries, coffee shops and retailers, but no bars and pubs.
Retail space at Obz Square costs R120 per square metre per month and the shop sizes range from 66 square metres to 300 square metres.
Obs Gateway’s completion was a slow process, with tenants complaining that they had to start off using generators because the building wasn’t ready for an electricity connection. Similar problems were apparently experienced with telephone lines. The problems seemed to have been sorted out recently.
Robert said the heritage status of the area delayed completion.
Kim Sueng Hee, owner of the Change Room salon, said only minor problems remain, including the lack of visibility and signage. Robert said that signage will be up within a week.

Barmooda fire suspect sought

There seems to be no end to the Barmooda saga as insurance issues drag on and an identified alleged arsonist is still at large.

No repair work has started yet on the gutted part of the building which housed the controversial Barmooda nightclub on the corner of Station and Lower Main Road, despite earlier promises by the building’s owners, Woodstock-based company Zhauns Properties, that work would start in September.

The nightclub was petrol bombed in mysterious circumstances in the early hours of 15 June.

Brian Roberts, Zhauns property manager, said they are still busy sorting out the insurance claim. He told ObsLife that repair work will start at the beginning of October before putting the phone down.
An insurance official working on the case was tight-lipped about how far the Zhauns’ claim had progressed, saying only that it was still under way. ObsLife had previously learned that Zhauns wanted a cash pay-out as opposed to having a contractor appointed by the insurers. The insurers had made a settlement offer to Zhauns.
Meanwhile, the police have identified Nasiet Haywood as the alleged arsonist who entered the nightclub, threatened the workers, tied them up and set the place alight. He is described as armed and dangerous.

Sergeant Hilton Malila of the Woodstock Police said he is still at large and is associated with the Goodwood, Maitland and the Summer Greens area.

In contrast with earlier published versions of the event, Sergeant Malila says Haywood entered the nightclub with one accomplice, while a getaway car waited in the street.

The insurance claim of the owner of Barmooda, Reon Heckrath, also has not been settled yet, according to an insurance official dealing with the case. Barmooda as a business was owned and insured separately from the building.

Zhauns said it would not take Barmooda back as a tenant once the building is fixed.

The Police asked anyone with information about Haywood to contact Warren Smith on 021-4862863 or crime stop on 08600 10111.

Assessment Centre promises broken

SERIOUS allegations of mismanagement have emerged about the Assessment Centre for homeless people in Franklin Street amid calls by residents that the dysfunctional City project be shut down.
The multi-million-rand contract from the City’s department of social development was awarded to Melanie Brand, owner of a coaching business EMCE, to set up and run the assessment centre to assess homeless people who are ready to come off the streets before referring them for further treatment or second-phase institutions such as rehabilitation centres.
Melanie denies that the assessment centre has degenerated into a shelter but admitted that several homeless people have been staying at the centre for months, instead of the maximum of 72 hours which she promised concerned Franklin Street residents at the beginning of the year when the centre opened.
Melanie admitted to ObsLife that the centre was housing homeless women. “There’s kind of a permanent arrangement for women in Observatory, but we only have six women....”
However, a resident in Franklin Street who wanted to remain anonymous said that there are about 30 to 40 people in the centre which operates "more as a hostel than as an assessment centre."
An outraged Franklin Street resident said Melanie has made no attempts to communicate any changes to the centre’s mandate or operating procedure. He said that she has been supplied with all the relevant contact numbers. Another resident said that she saw Melanie recently, yet Melanie did not take the opportunity to speak to her about the fact that she had gone against her agreement with Franklin Street.
Melanie explained to ObsLife that she is using the Franklin Street centre to house women because of problems that arose between women and men at the Maitland second-phase shelter, which she also runs on contract from the city.
But she is adamant that the Franklin Street assessment centre should not be called a shelter, but an assessment centre.
Yet Melanie's explanation how the Franklin Street centre works is that of a typical shelter. The inmates are given breakfast and are then sent out during the day to fend for themselves before being allowed back into the centre at night.
Professionals in the field told ObsLife that properly run assessment centres keep their inmates inside for the duration of their short stay while assessments take place. Kenneth Roman, the Observatory Improvement District’s street-people field worker, said that if a homeless person is ill and unable to work, they should not be told that they must go out to work if they physically can’t. Those on medication should receive three meals per day and not be denied food.
The centre seems to suffer from a serious lack of professional involvement. Despite requests from ObsLife, Melanie failed to provide the names and contact details of professionals involved. In an email, she claimed that three psychologists were involved at the centre, but only for “debriefing” staff. She didn’t provide names or contact details. Contrary to her stated plans when the centre was launched, she made no mention of the involvement of any medical doctor or psychiatrist.
Melanie told a recent meeting of the Social Issues Forum, a gathering of local street-people activists, that an auxiliary social worker does all of the centre’s assessments and is overseen by the centre’s social worker, Amanda Adams. She made no mention of any medical or psychological assessments being done.
Professionals whom ObsLife spoke to expressed surprise at the idea of an assessment centre where the assessments aren’t done by professionally qualified psychologists or medical doctors.
The lack of professionalism at the centre seems to reach right down to the support staff. Melanie confirmed to ObsLife allegations by a centre inmate that a staff member had been caught drinking on the job, and admitted that the centre employs previously homeless people as caretakers and field workers. Kenneth criticised this practice, saying that there are many unemployed qualified social workers and field workers who need jobs, yet the centre chooses to employ inexperienced and risky candidates.
Melanie admitted that a “house mother” at the assessment centre who cares and cooks for the inmates was sacked after being caught drinking on the job. According to an inmate at the centre who is herself battling alcoholism, the house mother sent her to the liquor store to buy booze.
Further questions around the centre’s lack of insight into dealing with alcoholics arises from an interview with ObsLife in which she said that she was trying to get a certain inmate to “drink 20 percent less”.
A psychologist and health professional who commented on this approach said such a weaning-off approach to alcoholism is highly unusual in South Africa and controversial overseas. The South African approach is to encourage complete abstinence. The professionals expressed concern that the assessment centre was trying to rehabilitate an inmate, whereas their job is to assess and refer. Lynn Brandt, a social worker from Mowbray, said it was against the law for a social worker to make a diagnosis.
Observatory was earmarked as the home of the City’s first assessment centre because of the network established by the Social Issues Forum. But Kenneth says there has been no cooperation with him as the local field worker. "We not even working together. They have field workers in Observatory, I work in Observatory. We set up numerous meetings, they never pitch for one meeting," said Kenneth.

Mobile Station targets Obs crime hotspots

THE new “horsebox” introduced by the Observatory Improvement District (OBSID) has scored its first direct success through the apprehension of a car-wheel thief by a guard who was patrolling Dove Street from the mobile shelter.
The horsebox is a trailer from which an Observatory Public Safety guard can operate in any hotspot in the OBSID area.
It is hard to miss the bold branding which increases the visibility of the OBSID’s safety effort and helps prevent crime.
The idea is that the guards manning the horsebox are able to patrol high-crime areas in Obs, using the horsebox as an occasional shelter and “information desk” where they can interact with residents.
During the incident, the trailer was parked on the corner of Robins and Polo Road, when the guard interrupted the thief who ran off but was caught shortly afterwards.
The OBSID horsebox has been operating for three weeks now. Residents say that since the horsebox has been visible in the area, crime has decreased and they feel much safer in their homes.
“I much prefer them here... If one of those could be in every street in Observatory, I tell you, crime will probably go to Constantia,” quipped Jill Darvall, a resident in Polo Street.
“The vigilance of them up and down, it actually keeps the guys away. Nobody’s car has been broken in since,” said Maphtaoi Tafari, a resident in Polo Street.
The horsebox branding was sponsored by the Groote Schuur Community Improvement District (GSCID) and the Western Cape government sponsored the trailer.
The use of horsebox is currently being tested, says Ursula van Stavel, chief operating officer.
She says that they are conducting a survey among residents about the impact of the service. Information brochures about the OBSID are available at the horsebox, as well as opinion-poll form that residents can fill in.
OBSID guard Aphiwe Velani, who recently did a stint in and around the horsebox in Polo Road, said: “So far there has been no reports of breaking-ins, that means the crime has decreased...residents appreciate the horsebox. They say that they are very delighted to see the horsebox, especially here in Polo Road”.
Ursula says that if any resident or organisation is hosting a gathering and would like the horsebox to be visible in the area during the hours of the event, residents can apply to the OBSID a week in advance. OBSID will consider each application on its merits.
Phone the OBSID at 021 448 7090 or leave a note at the horsebox.