Speeding remains a big problem in Blackheath.  The BCID is working with the Cape Town Traffic Department to prevent and address speeding within the Blackheath Area.  Regular VCP’s, speed enforcement operations and joint operations occur within the Blackheath Industrial Area as a result.  Regular visits and spot-checks are also carried out to the local scrap and second-hand dealers in the area in partnership with the SAPS and the City of Cape Town’s Law Enforcement’s Metal Theft Unit that is initiated by the monthly SAPS / BCID Security Forum that was established in 2006 by the BCID.   Here we meet with SAPS, Law Enforcement and Traffic Department as well as the local Security suppliers to discuss Security related matters in Blackheath in an attempt to enhance Visible Policing, Speed Calming and generally address / decrease crime in general in Blackheath.

The Welcome to Blackheath City Improvement District “Welcome Board” at the four-way stop street was washed away during a flood caused by a burst water main in February this year.  Our sponsor, Broll Property Group will re-erect the board as soon as possible.

The welcome board at the entrance to Blackheath from the Buttskop Road side needs to be replaced, we have permission from the City of Cape Town to replace and hereby request sponsors from the local area to contact us if they would like to fund this board and be rewarded with the resultant opportunity to advertise here?

Again, submissions may be forwarded to Brendan van der Merwe at bcid@kinsley.co.za or on 0219050929.

Welcome to the May edition of the Blackheath City Improvement District (BCID) Newsletter.

May brought some welcome rainfall across the Peninsula and we look forward to a wet and healthy rainy season.  May brought lots of new developments to the local area, including the new Oranjerivier Tanker Terminal in Wimbledon Road.  Blackheath awaits some new development in School Road as well and we will bring more news regarding this in the near future.

The Winter preparedness program is still underway and we again ask that you report any concerns to the BCID office on 021 905 0929 or to bcid@kingsley.co.za for immediate attention.  We have cleared most of the canals and storm-water channels and inlets throughout the area to date, with just a few left to service.  We thank the City of Cape Town for their support on this program.

Those who are wondering about the Greening Competition, I have chosen some winners already and will inform the winners very soon after which we will do a special broadcast to all members to brag!

We would also like to congratulate Councillor van Dalen on being elected to the Board of the Blackheath City Improvement District, as our ex-Officio Council Board Member.  This means he will attend and make inputs at our monthly meeting as well as our AGM’s.  He is also responsible for assisting us with council related queries and to provide us with feedback from council meetings as to developments and projects that are being planned in the area.  Feel free to contact him with any council related problems via e-mail at Bertus.VanDalen@capetown.gov.za.

Donated steel frames for desks

We would like to thank Mr. Heinz Modricky from Metalian for a donation of steel frames for desks and Mr. Tommy Solomon from Solomon Coatings for the galvanising of these frames.  I am currently investigating the possibility of getting table tops in order for us to donate them to the new Early Childhood Development Centres that will be completed with the housing development in Happy Valley.  If you have any ideas for table tops, we would appreciate any inputs or suggestions to this wonderful initiative.

Don’t forget the BCID emergency number on 086 000 BCID for all ST3 Security related emergencies. Call Law enforcement on 107 from the Landline or 021 596 1999 from a cell phone. Call the SAPS on 10111!

Please contact Colonel Nel of Mfuleni Police Station who is the head of Visible Policing in the area for support and information or speak to ST3 Security for assistance with Security advice to safeguard your business premises.

Crime stats indicate that crime is still on the rise and the statistics in the surrounding areas are even higher. Please make sure that your premises are secure. Ensure you DO NOT make yourself a target of crime by leaving valuables unattended or easily accessible, whether in your vehicle or on your desk. We are asking for all businesses to keep cash trading to a minimum as there were 4 armed robberies from December last year till now.

We also need all crime incidents to be reported to our local Police station. The SAPS do their visible policing according to the crime stats and if we don’t report the crime the SAPS will deploy there manpower to other areas were crime is more prevalent, as is the case at present.

Please visit www.bcid.org.za to find our security weekly and monthly incident reports that may assist you in identifying trends and prevent you from becoming a victim of crime. Incident reports are filed on the home page under incident reports and weekly and monthly reports under documents.

Staff on training to prune Acaceas

In March our staff went on tree pruning training to better attend to our trees s they all got a bit top heavy.  You will have noticed that the tree pruning has already begun and is well underway with Wimbledon Road already completed.  Our trees are looking better and stronger by the day and we are proud of our “children” who we pamper on an on-going basis whilst mourning the few losses along the way due to vandalism, predators of unknown description and vehicle movements.

Our trees before pruning

Neatly pruned Acaceas

Illegal Dumping and Littering

March saw fewer cases of dumping within the Blackheath Industrial Area. The reward to anybody who can provide me with information as to the registration number and a description of the vehicle that is dumping tyres is still on offer, we are very keen to catch this person who is responsible for dumping tyres throughout the Blue Downs area and now also in Blackheath.

Tyres dumped in Blackheath

Dumped tyres cleared by BCID team

We appeal to everyone in Blackheath to prevent littering and dumping. The BCID team collected a staggering 185 refuse bags of waste from the road verges this month of which 60 bags were used for clearing the road verges from weeds and grass and 125 bags for picking up litter along the road side.

We further call on everyone to call the BCID security vehicle when spotting a suspicious vehicle that may be dumping building material or garden refuse or even tyres as this has been a serious problem during January and February. The 24h ST3 Security Patrol vehicle can be contacted on 021-905 3399 or 079 274 9841 or on the BCID emergency no: 0860 00 BCID (2243)!

We cleansed every street within the Blackheath CID Area in March. Please report any specific issues to us for immediate attention from the CID Cleansing team on 021 905 0929 who respond to matters immediately under the stewardship of Mr. Jacobus Rossouw.

We tended to weeds along all these routes and dealt with alien vegetation along the main roads. Illegal dumping sites were cleaned in School, Sysen and Buttskop Roads and for general waste and litter.

Trafford Road was cleared of tyres and litter and in Range, Metal and Nicole Roads we cleared concrete and building rubble.

Although the number of incidents of dumping has decreased significantly from last month it is still not at acceptable levels and we urge all too please report illegal dumping. All Law enforcement related issues can be reported directly to 107 from the landline or 021 596 1999 from a cell phone. Try to get a photograph of the event for the purpose of having evidence to support the complaint and be sure that we can bring the perpetrator to book.

BCID

Wishing you and your families a very Happy and Blessed Easter.  If you are planning a trip, please get lots of rest and be alert and get to your destination fresh and safely.  We also reiterate the need to update information with your alarm monitoring supplier and make sure that your premises is secure by testing and then perhaps even servicing your alarm system.

March has again been a busy month with much ado about petty crime, vagrants wheeling things on trolleys and bins and anything else with wheels, an upsurge in related crime and several arguments with the local SAP Service about service delivery and visibility.  St3 Security has been patrolling and confiscating and interviewing suspicious persons and generally securing the public open spaces in the Industrial Area.  We are concerned about crime, but more so about the lack of reporting to the SAPS.  Please as I ask every month, report all crime to the SAPS at the charge office at the Blue Downs Police Station.

We have just had news that the City of Cape Town has approved funding for the last phase of our street lighting project in Gooderson, Anfield and Trafford Roads during the next financial year.

We now start our Winter preparedness program and if you are concerned about any blockages in the storm water inlets or drains or within open culverts that need to be cleared, please inform us immediately via email on bcid@kingsley.co.za or via telephone on 0219050929.  We will be looking at all areas within the BCID boundaries during this intervention, but we would like any concerns to be brought to our attention as well so that we can be sure we are fully prepared for the rainy season that I am told starts on the Easter weekend.  So no surprise there I guess.  We are blessed by Mother Nature when it suits her and not us!