Edenglen South Road Closure
Making a difference to your safety and security.
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Welcome to the Edenglen South Road Closure
Emergency - Mamba (011 609 0227). We are part of Sector 3
and there is a dedicated SAPS patrol car which has a cell phone. You can contact the SAPS car directly on 071 675 6844/5.
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Regular newsletters are sent out each month via email and are available on the website as well.
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Crime Stat Reports are available each month. (Please see Crime Watch Reports option). |
Edenglen South Road Closure Disks are available from:
Johnson Cycle Works, 25 7th Avenue, Edenvale. Tel: 011 452 9586 |
Webpage last updated 7 December 2017
Newletter Highlights:
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Emergency - Mamba (011 609 0227). We are part of Sector 3 and there is a dedicated SAPS patrol car which has a cell phone. You can contact the SAPS car directly on 071 675 6844/5.
6 December 2017
There was a hijacking in the Edenglen North Enclosure at 4 pm. The suspects were in a black Audi. A black Audi was used in our Barbara Rd incident about 2 weeks ago. Please be on the alert for this vehicle.
If you see a black Audi A3 registration CM60GL GP please call Mamba immediately.
27 November 2017
Yesterday there was an attempted hijack/robbery in Bruwer St. Mamba was alerted, gave chase, cornered the crooks and arrested them with the assistance of SAPS. These appear to be the same crooks involved in the previous robbery. As we get more information we will let you know.
27 November 2017
There was a break in yesterday in van der Walt St where a large amount of cash and cells phones were stolen. The circumstances related to this event are under investigation.
On Tuesday 21/11 there was a hijacking of a vehicle in Barbara St. I was away last week and had limited connectivity so the communications related to this incident have not been the best. I found out about it yesterday. Once I have further information I will provide an update. No injuries have been reported.
@ESRCAlert - Please note that we set up @ESRCAlert to prevent communications from breaking down as per above. @ESRCAlert removes any dependency on specific individuals including committee members. If a resident sends out a tweet with the @ESRCAlert in the message then over 300 other residents will immediately be informed. Making use of this facility keeps residents up to date regards suspicious and/or criminal activities and could prevent other residents from becoming crime victims. If you have knowledge of a crime it is very important that you let as many people as possible know. Don't assume someone else will raise the alarm and/or communicate with the committee. It is vitally important that we all share as much information as possible.
Alerting protocol - we have discussed this several times in the past, here is a brief summary -
- If you see any thing suspicious or are aware of a crime report it to the Mamba control room immediately.
- Then warn everyone else by tweeting with @ESRCAlert included in the message e.g. "@ESRCAlert 24/8 5pm Just seen a red audi driving very slowly up and down Viljoen St"
- Provide the committee with additional details using our email address.
- @ESRCAlert should ONLY be used to report crime.
- Our email address can be used to raise any operational issues, concerns, suggestions or questions related to the activity of running the closure.
Communication channels - we have published this in the past and it was discussed at the recent AGM. @ESRCAlert and our email address are the official channels for communication. It is impossible to expect the committee to be aware of and be part of every and all social media channels set up by various individuals. There is no guarantee that if you post something on Edenvale Hub (for example) that you will get a response.
Please note that all the relevant communications details are provided in our email signature below. --
Remember to always maintain a high level of awareness, especially when you are leaving or entering your home/driveway. Please tell your family and domestic workers to also be on the lookout. Report all suspicious behaviour to Mamba control room (tel number below) and warn the residents using @ESRCAlert.
Regards,
Derek
On behalf of the Edenglen South Road Closure Committee
Committee: Kim Johnson, Des Kelly, Derek Gowans, Dave Lones, James Taylor.
Emergency - Mamba (011 609 0227)
SAPS Sector 3 vehicle 071 675 6844/5
Twitter - use @ESRCAlert to report suspicious activity or crime in progress to all residents of our suburb.
www.edenglensrc.blogspot.com - Community notice board. Do not post crime reports or closure operational issues here rather use our email for this.
18 November 2017
On Thursday night at an undetermined time a zozo hut in van der Walt street was broken into and bikes and a generator were stolen. As we get any updates we will let you know. If you have valuables stored in any external buildings please check the security of these buildings or huts.
15 November 2017
Below are the main points from the committee meeting last night -
We are currently servicing all boom gate motors and expect to be finished shortly. We have invested in a spare motor which is used to substitute the motor which has been removed for servicing. Once the servicing cycle is complete we will have a spare motor on hand in case of break downs.
We have finalised a supplier for the renewal of signs at the gates and booms.
Council is currently renewing their policy for approving and operating road closures. They are engaging with stakeholders for proposals and suggestions. The committee will be responding to this request.
We recently sent out an email providing our crime stats vs. the rest of the country and Gauteng. A resident suggested we post this in non contributors mail boxes and another took the email to his neighbor to discuss. If you want to put the mail in a non contributor's mail box or stick it to his gate then please do so. Likewise if you feel you can chat to your neighbour then go ahead. We will arrange for a more formal mail drop in the future but the more residents that assist the better. This would apply to all homes that do not have a contributor sign on their gate or wall. If you are in the process of getting a sign or you contribute and have chosen not to have a sign then please accept our apologies in advance if you find a few emails in your letter box.
Our non payments situation has improved this month so hopefully this will be a continuing trend.
As we have been doing over the last few years we will give each of our guards a small hamper to say thanks for their service throughout the year. Each guard is informed that this is a gift from all of the residents of Edenglen South.
3 October 2017
20 September 2017
The AGM will be held on the 28th September, 7:00 pm at the Edenglen Primary School. If any members wish to raise any issues or questions please send us an email before 5:00 pm on the 21st September 2017.
7 September 2017
5 September 2017
3 September 2017
AGM date finalised - The AGM will be held on the 28th September, 7:00 pm at the primary school. If any members wish to raise any issues or questions please send us an email before 5:00 pm on the 21st September. All documentation and notices related to the AGM will be posted on our website.
Signage - We are still looking into finding a replacement supplier for our current supplier who went bankrupt.
Recycling - there has been an ongoing debate on the nuisance factor related to the guys who go through our rubbish bins looking for recycling materials. Heather Hart has provided us with the contact details of a company that registers and formalises the recyclers and arranges to collect the recycled material. If any resident would like to volunteer to explore this further and implement then please let us know.
Finance - Levies are down YTD due to D/O returns and Internet non payments. If your banking info changes please let us know as soon as possible and, if you pay by EFT please remember to pay on time. Issues like this put us below our budgeted revenue and create additional administration overhead for the team.
Email Banner Advert - the space at the end of our email is available for advertising (see below). We have space for two small adverts at R300 a month or R600 rand if you want to advertise exclusively. This is on a first come first served basis. Please note we will not allow competing businesses to advertise at the same time.
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Remember to always maintain a high level of awareness, especially when you are leaving or entering your home/driveway. Please tell your family and domestic workers to also be on the lookout. Report all suspicious behaviour to Mamba control room (tel number below) and warn the residents using @ESRCAlert.
Regards,
Derek
On behalf of the Edenglen South Road Closure Committee
Committee: Kim Johnson, Des Kelly, Derek Gowans, Dave Lones, James Taylor.
Emergency - Mamba (011 609 0227)
SAPS Sector 3 vehicle 071 675 6844/5
Twitter - use @ESRCAlert to report suspicious activity or crime in progress to all residents of our suburb.
www.edenglensrc.blogspot.com - Community notice board. Do not post crime reports or closure operational issues here rather use our email for this.
16 August 2017
We have reported a few incidents in the past few months mostly related to petty theft. There was also an attempted break in last week. It has been sometime since we have had a major incident and there is always the danger that we become complacent in our personal security. Never let good security habits slack off. No matter how safe we feel we must continually be on the alert and check and re-check our security arrangements. It has been shown in the past that entering and leaving your home is where most serious crime occurs. Remember to always check the road and surroundings when entering or exiting your property.
A provisional date of 28 September has been set for our AGM. As in the past - we will take questions from members up to a week before the AGM so if you want to raise any issues please let us know.
Stay safe!
4 August 2017
It appears that the cutting of our fence at gate 3 was another attempt to try and steel the batteries in the Telkom box rather than trying to get into the closure. Our fence has been repaired and reinforced.
We have had a report of a property being marked on the pavement with sticks and a bottle. The debate on this one never ends (is it fact or a myth) but it is better to be safe than sorry so we are letting you know about it.
We (very infrequently) get reports on this but we have never had an associated criminal incident. we did do some research on this in the past and quite a few people think this is more of an urban legend especially in this day and age of cell phones being used to communicate and to take and send pictures. One of the articles can be read at - http://cobradefence.co.za/ma
rking-of-houses-before-a-burgl
ary-fact-or-urban-legend/.
The resident also reported hearing a particular noise at 4 a.m. this morning. It sounded like a vehicle which was dragging a metal object or a really battered car engine. It stopped and idled for a while before driving off again.
A different resident reported a theft of a mountain bike at 4 a.m. Mamba was alerted and the intruders were apprehended.
As usual - please be alert at all times, crime will never cease so we must never let our guard down.
31 July 2017
20 July 2017
If you are paying by EFT please ensure that it is done by the tenth of the month and that the correct amount (R435) is transferred. Following up on delayed or incorrect transfers creates an administrative burden for the committee.
The banner advert at the bottom of our emails is available for anyone who wishes to advertise their business for the coming year. Please let us know if you want to make use of this facility. This will be done on a first come first served basis.
Service and infrastructure issues - if you experience any problems with the closure please let us know. It is always concerning when we hear from a resident that "this happens all the time" yet they neglect to take the time to report it to us. We all have a responsibility to ensure the closure is functioning at its best. If the committee is not aware of an issue we can't resolve it.
Maintenance - we will have to replace the guard hut at gate 1. We will be working on obtaining quotes over the next few weeks.
In our last communication we reported that we will be refurbishing some signs in our suburb. This has been delayed as our regular supplier has gone into liquidation. We are investigating new suppliers.
A provisional date of 28 September has been set for our AGM. As in the past - we will take questions from members up to a week before the AGM so if you want to raise any issues please let us know.
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Remember to always maintain a high level of awareness, especially when you are leaving or entering your home/driveway. Please tell your family and domestic workers to also be on the lookout. Report all suspicious behaviour to Mamba control room (tel number below) and warn the residents using @ESRCAlert.
Regards,
Derek
On behalf of the Edenglen South Road Closure Committee
Committee: Kim Johnson, Des Kelly, Derek Gowans, Dave Lones, James Taylor.
Emergency - Mamba (011 609 0227)
SAPS Sector 3 vehicle 071 675 6844/5
Twitter - use @ESRCAlert to report suspicious activity or crime in progress to all residents of our suburb.
www.edenglensrc.blogspot.com - Community notice board. Do not post crime reports or closure operational issues here rather use our email for this.
13 June 2017
We received an email from a resident asking about a commotion around 1 am in Lindeque. Below is the briefing I received from Mamba -
In the early hours of this morning, my guys got a call from a resident in Palliser road, re a suspicious bakkie that was parked outside their house.
When my first vehicle arrived, he saw 2 guys running up Wagenaar, inside the closure. Backup was called and the search got under way.
Other Mamba vehicles chased the bakkie and blocked it off at the corner of Edendale and Palliser. The driver was detained.
It was around that time that my Control Centre received a call from a resident in Lindeque, stating that suspects had been seen in his yard. Various vehicles were dispatched to Lindque to assist.
On investigation, it was determined that the suspects had removed a palisade bar from the fence at the corner of Wagenaar and Palliser. This was in order to get to the Telkom box situated just inside the closure gate, where they were after the batteries.
The incident ended with 3 suspects arrested, which were handed over to SAPS.
9 June 2017
Yesterday morning a resident posted on our Twitter @ESRCAlert about hearing several gun shots from the south side of our suburb. We are sure many of you have heard what happened but for those who do not know - Mamba chased and arrested 5 criminals who had been involved in an armed robbery in Croyden. The criminals were stopped at Horwood Farm and a shootout ensued. One criminal was killed. All Mamba staff were unharmed.
A while back several residents were discussing on our blog, the roll out of fibre in our suburb. TT Connect are now in the process of rolling out fibre to our area. Ashley has posted an update on our blog. If you are interested please go to http://edenglensrc.blogspot
.co.za/2013/12/environmental.
html and see the update at the end of the page.
8 June 2017
We received the following report from a resident -
A team of people in a car arrived at our gate on Wagenaar Rd this afternoon saying that they are conducting a survey. My wife responded to the lady at the gate who asked about her bank preferences, would she like to change or bank, do we shop at spar and where do we shop. At this stage my wife terminated the discussion, feeling uneasy about a potential scam.
As is the case in previous reports of incidents like this - please ensure the person has the correct credentials and be wary of letting anyone onto your property or giving out personal information unless you are 100% sure.
4 June 2017
There was a hi-jacking last night in Ferrero St. Suspects were waiting in the premises for the victim to arrive back home and stole his Jeep. The criminals crashed through the North Closure's boom at Erasmus and Harris. The vehicle was recovered by the tracking company. As we hear any further details we will keep you posted.
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Remember to always maintain a high level of awareness, especially when you are leaving or entering your home/driveway. Please tell your family and domestic workers to also be on the lookout. Report all suspicious behaviour to Mamba control room (tel number below) and warn the residents using @ESRCAlert.
Regards,
Derek
On behalf of the Edenglen South Road Closure Committee
Committee: Kim Johnson, Des Kelly, Derek Gowans, Dave Lones, James Taylor.
Emergency - Mamba (011 609 0227)
SAPS Sector 3 vehicle 071 675 6844/5
Twitter - use @ESRCAlert to report suspicious activity or crime in progress to all residents of our suburb.
www.edenglensrc.blogspot.com - Community notice board. Do not post crime reports or closure operational issues here rather use our email for this.
9 May 2017
On the finance side we are managing closely to budget. If you are one of the small number of people who pay via EFT please can you ensure that payments are made on the agreed dates. Having to follow up on payments not made does cause unnecessary administration overhead for us.
The 2017-2018 budgets has been completed, reviewed and approved by the committee.
We are looking for a volunteer to assist with the typing of our meeting minutes. If you have some spare time and would like to help please let us know.
We will be renewing the chevrons on the gates as well as the no entry signs around our suburb.
For the past few months we have been investigating number plate recognition systems. We have agreed to pilot a system, provided by Mamba, at one of our gates. We don't have the exact timeline yet but will let you know when the details are finalised..
9 March 2017
Brass Ornamentation and House No's:
We have had a report form a resident that a brass framework around his letter box has been stolen. Please be on the lookout for this and report immediately to Mamba if you see anything suspicious.
9 March 2017
We have updated the road closure welcome letter. A copy of this is given to every new resident. We advise all residents to read through the letter as it is a good reminder of what the road closure is all about and the benefits that it provides.
5 March 2017
Feedback from the latest committee meeting -
The baton system on gate 1 is working well and the guards are clocking in when required. There were two minor issues last month but these were quickly resolved.
Our Chairman, Kim, has spoken to Edenvale CID about the large pothole at gate 2 and Linda McKenzie has agreed to repair the pothole. The hole will be filled and, once it gets dryer, tarred.
The primary school is now contributing to the closure and Kim has entered into a contribution discussion with the high school. In the last month we have had 5 new residents come on board. We really do appreciate your contribution, you are helping to make Edenglen a safer place and maintain property values.
The large chevrons on the closed gates need to be replaced and we will be doing this over the coming months. The roofs on the huts will also be refurbished.
Our income is slightly ahead of expenses as repairs and maintenance has been lower than expected.
Unfortunately our neighbouring closures are not doing so well. We hear that two closures in Hurlyvale and one in Highway gardens are close to collapse. Once the level of contributors drops below break even operating the closure can become very difficult. We are continually on this line and it would be great if non contributors could realise that they basically have to power to either sustain or close down our closure. If you are not contributing others are carrying the burden for you while you get the benefit. Joining up will make things easier for all your neighbours and ensure our operation is sustainable.
20 February 2017
The minutes from the AGM are on our web site or can be accessed here:
9 February 2017
19 January 2017
Please note that the Primary School is having a walk in our suburb on Saturday 28th January starting at 8:30 am and expected to last about 2 hours. Please exercise care if you are driving at this time.
14 January 2017 |
We have had a few reports of intruders jumping over walls. This is happening at homes which run along our boundary. If you are located along our boundary please can you check your security arrangements? Criminals can move palisade, spikes/barbed wire, bend electric fence poles or remove pre-cast panels. These are then replaced and you may not notice they have been moved. Large tree limbs hanging over your fence are also another means of access.
We have also had a report of a stranger photographing a property. We are trying to get additional details on this one.
If you see anything suspicious please report it immediately to the Mamba control room. Then post an alert on Twitter @ESRCAlert to warn your neighbours and the rest of the suburb. You will then have almost 290 pairs of eyes immediately looking out for any problems.
We have noticed that many residents have not been making use of @ESRCAlert to warn their neighbours of trouble. We don't get many incident reports but when we do we would like to know that everyone is quickly informed. If there are any issues with using @ESRCAlert please can you let us know?
We often get asked why Twitter and not Whatsapp. We do know that almost everyone has Whatsapp but it has a group size limit of 256 people. We are over this limit on Twitter. Whatsapp is difficult to administer especially if we have to make use of multiple groups and if we send out a general invite link it could be open to abuse. If we start to get non crime related messages on our service then people will start ignoring it. We want to make sure people pay attention when any messages come through.
Please keep in mind that if you send out a crime alert you could possibly prevent your neighbour or a nearby resident from becoming a victim of crime so it is important that you use the service. It just makes sense that we will be safer if more people are on the lookout for trouble and feeding any information related to a current situation back to Mamba and your fellow residents.
12 December 2016
In The Star newspaper today there is an article (front page) on the action the Johannesburg Council has taken against Hurlingham Manor North. The closure has been removed in a day. Council has taken down and confiscated all the gates, palisade fences, booms and any related access control infrastructure. Council is saying that Hurlingham is not complying with the Johannesburg security access policy of 2014. Hurlingham had implemented electronic access (I think this was either keypad or fingerprint access) and anyone who could not prove they were expected in the suburb was turned away. One must be aware that we are talking about public Johannesburg roads that have been closed off and not a private estate where such security measures are permitted. In a public space entry cannot be refused for anyone.
Illegally operating a closure and how access control is managed has resulted in the closure being removed. It looks like several closures in Johannesburg are now at risk of being removed.
Often when new residents settle in our suburb we get compared to other closure and asked why we do not do apply the same access control these closures have implemented such as signing in any non residents, finger printing, access cards for domestics, preventing mini buses from entering, searching cars/people, calling the home the person is visiting, not lifting booms for peak traffic, closing gates in the event of a crime etc. There are some practical reasons for not implementing some of these procedures but the main reason is that we do not want our closure to be removed because of non compliance.
Year after year at the AGM our Chairman stresses how important it is to operate the closure of our public roads legally and to the requirements specified by Ekurhuleni Council. Now we can all see the reason why.
On a brighter note - we will be providing each of our guards with an end of year gift consisting of a hamper and a large box of assorted biscuits. The guards are informed that these gifts have been provided to them by all the residents of Edenglen to thank them for their service. Based on the joyful response and goodwill created last year, the Committee feels this inexpensive gesture is well worth repeating.
12 December 2016
About 2 days ago at 2:30 am a barking dog alerted a resident to an intruder. The resident shouted and the intruder exited the property. The resident thinks the intruder was trying to break into a car. The bizarre thing about this incident was the intruder jumped on a bicycle and rode away. We do have some video of this but it is too grainy to offer any meaningful descriptions.
It is very unusual for anyone to be riding a bike around at this time. If you see someone riding a bike very late at night or in the early hours of the morning please report this immediately to Mamba.
17 November 2016
The duel button pilot is up and running at gate 2. Please let us have any comments or suggestions.
21 October 2016
Committee Meeting
Most of the meeting was taken up reviewing finances and the recent crime incidents we have experienced in our suburb. We also discussed some actions to take to prevent crime (this is over and above the actions agreed with Mamba at a recent meeting - i.e. increase special ops patrols).
We know that in the 2-3 month before Christmas crime tends to increase across the whole of the Edenvale area. Robbery is normally the typical crime we have experienced in the past. The trend at the moment is house break ins and burglary. In almost all the cases the criminals number 2-3, have been on foot and act mainly between 7 am and 3 pm.
The area around Mulder, Pieterse and Marret is a hot spot. This could be due to the nearby Vincent park and that the boundary runs along the back of the shops possibly allowing a way to get into and out of the suburb undetected. We have reported various incidents through email and the @ESRCAlert twitter account but it has been brought to our attention that there were 2 additional incidents in this area (Mulder St) - a break in which was disturbed and an attempted theft of a bakkie. Please can all residents be extra alert and immediately report anything suspicious?
It has become very frustrating for the committee that we are not getting to hear about some of these incidents. In future please can everyone report any incident directly to the committee either using @ESRCAlert and/or our email address? The sooner we can get a first hand account of any incident the sooner we can act and warn others.
Although the 24 hour car paid by the closure members is hopefully more of a crime deterrent it should be noted that the average response time to any call has been 2 minutes. The mandate of the closure is to reduce crime but we do recognise that a fast response must be in place in case something does happen. We will continue to review every incident with Mamba as well as the response protocols and times.
We have received quotes for a dual button system at our booms. This will mean that the guard will have to press a button to allow any vehicle entry or exit into our suburb. The committee is evaluating and will probably pilot in the near future. This system will ensure the guard spends most of his time outside the hut and gets closer to vehicles entering and leaving our suburb
We are investigating implementing additional cameras at strategic spots in our suburb. Monitoring will be done off site and we would also like the residents to be able to stream from the cameras to their devices. We will keep you posted on progress.
In the past we investigated number plate recognition but did could not reach a solid conclusion about the technical capability and the value offered. If any residents have had experience evaluating or implementing theses systems please can you get in touch?
We are increasingly having a problem with residents who put their homes on the market. For some reason they think the road closure is no longer applicable and cancel their membership. Then it takes 6-9 months to sell the home and possibly another 3-6 months to get the new resident on board. The loss of revenue is hurting. If you are continuing to live in the suburb please do not cancel your membership.
Sometimes we get asked by owners who are renting who should be paying for the closure - the tenant or the owner. Or advice to owners is to add the closure membership fee into the rental fee. We will provide the owners with tax invoices and they can claim this as a tax expense.
We do find that it is easier to deal with the owner as many tenants are reluctant to join the closure. However, if you are a tenant please consider this - if you speak to the owner perhaps he will be amenable to sharing in the membership fees (based on any tax relief the owner gets). This along with the R100 rebate you will get from Mamba (for armed response) would mean you are paying significantly less for the closure. It would surely be worth it for a 2 minutes response time when you or your family may require assistance.
11 October 2016
8 October 2016
Although this falls outside our closure it is to close to home. We have heard about an incident around 11 am yesterday. Suspicious activity was reported by our guards at the gate but they are not Mamba clients and do not belong to Mamba so we can't get any further information.
It is probably the same guys who have been involved in the incidents in our suburb. They are committing these crimes during the day and are moving about on foot. Please be extra alert and report anything suspicious immediately.
5 October 2016
Edenglen Primary School will be holding a walk on the south side of Wagenaar street on the 15th October from 8:30 to 10:30. No dogs will be permitted. Marshals and Mamba will be in place to monitor. If you have to drive at this time please exercise caution or chose alternate routes
27 September 2016
This morning two white males of school going age were spotted loitering around Viljoen St. by a resident. One was tall wearing a gray shirt and the other shorter wearing a white shirt and a cap at an angle. They were throwing berries or stones at dogs and became evasive when questioned about this and when asked where they live and why were they not in school.
Mamba 24 hour car was called and in spite of being given some abuse by the youngsters the car followed them until they left the suburb. So hopefully Mamba and the call by the resident prevented any mischief from happening. Please keep an eye out for these two individuals and report them to Mamba if you see them or any other suspicious characters. Reporting incidents such as this help us to keep our crime rate down.
15 September 2016
9 September 2016
There have been a few reports of tampering with electricity and water meters in the Edenvale/Edenglen area. In one case a water main was switched off and then the home was visited by three men, in blue overalls, claiming to be from the water department with a white vehicle with canopy, that had no markings. This sounds similar to our last incident where two men in blue overalls were posing as a garden service while they cased out and robbed a house.
If you think your main has been switched off please exercise caution if you go outside to check it.
Heather Hart recommends padlocking the boxes and sending in the meter reading to council.
AGM Final Reminder - 14th September, 7:00 pm at the Edenglen Primary school.
30 August 2016
The AGM is on Wednesday 14th September.
AGM - The AGM will be held on 14 September at 7:00 pm in the Edenglen Primary School. Attendance numbers have been dwindling over the past few years so please make every effort to attend. At the AGM Kim (our Chairman) will provide his views on why the Hurlyvale closure is in its current state, lessons to be learnt and what the impact will be on the Edenglen South closure. All AGM documentation will be posted on our web site in due time.
AGM Questions - We invite all paying members of the road closure to submit questions in writing to edenglensrc@gmail.com. Questions must be submitted by 1 September 5:00 pm. This will allow the committee to better prepare for and better manage the meeting. Questions may be taken from the floor if time permits.
Documents for AGM
We have received an update on yesterdays incident -
2 armed black males.
One in is 20’s and had medium colour skin and looked clean shaven, short but neat hair style had a roundish face and about 5 foot 11 inches.
The other one was early 30’s had a darker skin and hair on his face and was about 6 foot.
Both wore new lighter blue overalls (2 piece).
Both were of slender build lender build and had other clothes under the overalls.
They kicked a Trellidoor in at the bottom until it gave and then squeezed through into the house.
Residents were tied up and pistol whipped. The criminals took valuables and the car keys but could not get the gate open. One of the residents managed to push their panic button.
The resident has said the speedy reaction of Mamba disrupted the criminal activities and saved the family from further harm and possibly saved their lives.
Please note the following as the resident describes the
method used by these criminals to stake out the property -
Note* I saw on my pavement that leaves were pushed together as if somebody had gathered them, then I saw a green Pickit bag half way up my pavement, so I went to it and it was half fill of leaves.
I went over the road to the neighbour and asked if they had seen anything, and she said she saw a person in blue overalls raking leaves on my pavement and he put the leaves into a green bag.
I then asked our maid if she saw anything when she left at about 13:30 to 14:00, and she said yes she saw 2 men sort of lying on the pavement just around the bend and they asked if she knew of work in these houses, she replied no, she then said they had blue overalls on and the description I supplied above she also repeated to me.
So it looks like these two were posing as a garden service just before they committed the robbery. Please can everyone be on the lookout for this and report anything suspicious imm
ediately to Mamba. Most of the time we do know the domestic workers or garden service of our neighbours so please report it if you see some one you don't know especially if they have no access to the property and appear suspicious. Please also inform your domestic workers to report anything suspicious.
24 August 2016
We have had feedback from Heather Hart that there are problems with vagrants staying in Palliser Park. EMPD are attending to this. Although this is outside the closure any activity there may be more easily observed from the Edendale Rd side. Please can residents be aware of this and report any issues to us or to Heather (heather.hart@ ekurhuleni.gov.z
a). Heather has asked if the residents can keep watching/reporting on an ongoing basis.
1 August 2016
21 July 2016
Feedback from Committee Meeting July - AGM Notification.
Finance - revenue is slightly behind budget but the unusually low maintenance/repairs costs for this year are allowing us to just about break even.
Baton System - we have introduced a baton system to Gate 1 (24 hour gate). There are 4 clock in points and this will ensure guards remain active/mobile at all times.
Hurlyvale Closure - we have heard that this closure has collapsed due to insufficient funding. Residents are now trying to organise a neighborhood watch to address security/crime concerns.
AGM - The AGM will be held on Wednesday 14 September at 7:00 pm in the Edenglen Primary School. Attendance numbers have been dwindling over the past few years so please make every effort to attend. At the AGM Kim (our Chairman) will provide his views on why the Hurlyvale closure is in its current state, lessons to be learnt and what the impact will be on the Edenglen South closure. All AGM documentation will be posted on our web site in due time.
AGM Questions - We invite all paying members of the road closure to submit questions in writing to edenglensrc@gmail.com. Questions must be submitted by 1 September 5:00 pm. This will allow the committee to better prepare for and better manage the meeting. Questions may be taken from the floor if time permits.
9 July 2016
On Thursday afternoon a car parked outside Twinkle Toes Nursery School was broken into (see cctv video below). The school is outside the North Closure Smith Ave gate. If you see this vehicle (grey/gold Fortuner) or this man in or around our area please report it immediately to Mamba. We have been informed that there have been similar incidents reported in the Edenvale/Kempton Park area. We remind residents not to leave any items visible in their cars, even when you are in the car. In this day and age, unfortunately, it is an open invitation to criminals.
24 June 2016
We are unable to verify this and don't know if it is just a rumour being recycled on the grapevine but rather be safe than sorry.
Please inform your domestic workers to be on the lookout for 4 white males in a silver car who have allegedly robbed some domestic workers of cell phones (this may be a recycle of the incident we reported a while back). We have informed Mamba to be on the lookout.
It is always a good idea to pass any information about crime onto your domestic workers as they are a valuable source of information for us and they can also act proactively to deter crime. Please can you tell them to immediately report any incidents to yourself and then to Mamba. It is very difficult to act on old information that may not be reliable.
23 June 2016
23 June 2016
ALERT! There was a home invasion in the early hours of this morning near Horwood Street and 13th Ave. Sadly, the elderly gentleman was killed and his wife was taken to hospital.
This is one of several home invasions in Edenvale this week. Please be extra vigilant when leaving and arriving home, and ensure that all your doors are tightly locked
1 June 2016
Hi, we have just received the following
report. This is a very unusual incident for us and we are following up with Mamba. If you see these two please report to Mamba immediately.
I would just like to report an incident which occurred in Ferero road yesterday the 31st of May 2016, around 5pm, my domestic was walking home along Ferero Street and was held up by two young white males, one tall and one of medium build, they flashed her with a fire arm and asked for her cell phone, and then ran off. One of the youngsters carries a satchel on his back.
21 May 2016
A reminder to all residents that we have set up a blog site for you to post and comment on non security/ operational issues related to our suburb.
We have not had any posts for some time now but Carlos has recently posted about fibre roll out to our suburb. He says he has found a low cost high bandwidth solution and needs to know if other residents are interested as there has to be enough demand in order for the supplier to lay fibre in our suburb. You can view the details on our blog at
If you are interested you can contact Carlos directly - his contact details are on the post.
Anything security related must be communicated immediately to the Mamba control room, on @ESCRAlert and to our email address. Any operational issue (e.g. guards not performing duties properly) should be reported to us on our closure email.
1 April 2016
1 April 2016
We held our committee meeting last night. Main issue for discussion was the finances and the budget. Things are getting very tight for us due to decreasing contributions and it looks like we may end up running at a small loss.
Maintenance issues - there have been no major repairs to speak of.
Over the past few months we have spent a considerable amount of time answering questions from new residents. We have decided to put a welcome/FAQ letter together for all new residents but we would like to send it too all of our residents as a reminder about why we implemented a closure, how it is legally operated and what the benefits are.
Regards
Derek
24 March 2016
Please take 5 minutes to watch the News24 video of a burglary in Illiondale. It is the third time this family has been robbed.
There are lessons to learn here and the committee would like to point out a few things -
- The thieves ring the intercom to check is anyone is at home.
- The gate motor cover is not secured which allows the thieves to tamper with the electronics. The committee advises that gate motor covers are secured.
- The gate is eventually forced by lifting it with a crow bar and pushing. Gates can be fitted with anti-lift stoppers.
- Be on the lookout for the car - it looks like a red Proton with registration BG 33 BB GP
- Illiondale has no road closure.
- The owner expresses frustration about the response time of his security firm.
In our closure the presence of guards, a 24 hour patrolling car, well informed residents and our alert systems acts as a deterrent for this sort of criminal activity. The 24 hour patrol vehicle is for the exclusive use of road closure members and if they have an incident they can expect the fastest possible response. We have seen examples of this where the vehicle has prevented crime and in some cases made arrests.
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Remember to always maintain a high level of awareness, especially when you are leaving or entering your home/driveway. Please tell your family and domestic workers to also be on the lookout. Report all suspicious behaviour to Mamba control room (tel number below) and warn the residents using @ESRCAlert.
Regards,
Derek
On behalf of the Edenglen South Road Closure Committee
Committee: Kim Johnson, Des Kelly, Derek Gowans, Dave Lones.
9 March 2016
In a previous email we let you know that we were researching what the fees are for other nearby closures. The results so far -
Eastleigh Ridge - R410
Highway Gardens - R450
Isandovale - R360
Hurlyvale - R450
EGCC - R450
Dunvegan - R430
Harmelia - R375
Edenglen North - R460
A reminder our fee will be going up to R415 in March.
We are also looking into what the security levy is for private estates. If anyone has information on this please can you let us know?
9 February 2016
9 February 2016
The committee met last week and below is feedback from this meeting -
Succession Planning - we would like to thanks those of you who expressed an interest in ensuring the ongoing sustainability of the closure. We will contact you individually to let you know what the next steps are.
Finance - we continue to run close to the line but are managing better over the last few months due to lower than expected maintenance charges.
Membership - We are sitting at about 70% which is good when compared to many other closures. We thank those people who have signed up recently and will continue to try and get the others who do not pay to come on board and share the burden.
Monthly Fee - A reminder that (as per our last AGM) the fee will be going up by R25 to R415 on 1st March. We have been researching what other closures pay and have seen figures such as R460 and R495 a month. We will update you once this research is complete. It is good to compare to other closures but it is not an excuse to put fees up. We need to try and reduce fees for everyone by addressing the non paying residents and try to get them on board.
Residents - We remind the residents to continue to play their part and inform us of any service concerns and if these involve any guards to provide us with the name, date, time and gate. We continue to encourage our residents to sign up for our alert system and follow @ESRCAlert on Twitter. Every resident on board with this can immediately report crime or suspicious activity to all others who have signed up. This system gives us the capability to look out for each other.
24 January 2016
The hole has been filled but the soil still needs to be compacted and the surface re-tarred. We are uncertain about when the repair will be completed and the traffic has been a major issue so gate 3 has been opened. Try to avoid driving near or over the loose soil. Proceed with caution and at your own risk.
22 January 2016
Gate 3 - The water leak has been repaired and the hole has been filled with lose soil. Heather Hart has been chasing the contractor to complete the job i.e. compact the soil and tar the surface but his response is not great and he says there is no tar! If this job is not finished for Monday we will probably have to open the gate at Viljoen. We ask residents to be extra alert during this time.
Mamba Arrest - An intruder was reported in Ferero St yesterday. Thanks to the dedicated patrol vehicle and a very rapid response he was arrested by Mamba before any crime could be committed. Well done to Mamba and to the resident for reacting quickly and immediately reporting the issue.
21 January 2016
Annual increase - A reminder that, as per the AGM, the fee will increase by R25 at the end of February. Unfortunately there is still a group of residents unwilling to contribute to the closure. Margins a very thin and paying residents have to continue carry the burden for the non contributors. Please reconsider if you are not paying because others are having to carry an additional load because of you.
Suspicious/Stolen Vehicles - see attached list. If you see any of the vehicles please call Mamba immediately and alert the residents using @ESRCAlert.
Stabbing - this was a domestic incident and we do not see any future danger for our residents.
Water Main - we are still trying to get an update on this repair that was supposed to be fixed yesterday. We will let you know as soon as we hear anything.
19 January 2016
Stabbing Incident - A white male wearing a balaclava and gloves placed a puppy by a gate in Edenglen South. Rang the bell then stabbed a female resident (in her early twenties) in the stomach when she opened the gate. He then ran away with the puppy. Paramedics treated the victim on site and she was taken to hospital.
Gate 3 Closed (Palliser/Wagenaar) - the gate has been closed while a water main is being repaired. It is expected to be fixed tomorrow. To accommodate traffic the booms in Erasmus have been lifted and Surveyor St will remain open.
18 December 2015
So far we have had ZERO responses from the non paying residents we are trying to reach out to. Please can you make every effort to help if you live next to or close to a non contributing house.
Residents Not Contributing - We don't think this group realises how much of an influence they have on the future of the closure or the impact they have on contributing residents. For this reason we have decided to ask the contributing residents of this suburb to help us pull out all the stops in getting the message across. Please can all residents read the attached document which summarises the benefits of the closure and the concerns related to an ever decreasing contribution rate. If you are contributing and live next to someone who is not contributing please can you give them a copy of this document either directly (if you know them) or post it in their letter box or stick it to their gate. Mark the document "Urgent, please read". If all residents act on this we can get the message across in a day or two. We will be asking you to repeat this task for a few weeks to ensure the message is not ignored. If response is poor we will then commission a printer to print and distribute. This will come at a cost and take more time so this is why we are appealing to all residents to please help.
If you are not contributing and receive this email please can you seriously reconsider your position?
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Remember to always maintain a high level of awareness, especially when you are leaving or entering your home/driveway. Please tell your family and domestic workers to also be on the lookout. Report all suspicious behaviour to Mamba control room (tel number below) and warn the residents using @ESRCAlert.
Regards,
Derek
On behalf of the Edenglen South Road Closure Committee
17 January 2016
We have had some reports of gate motors being stolen, the latest was last night in Ferero St. Be on the lookout for anyone acting suspiciously and report immediately to Mamba.
12 November 2015
There was an incident of robbery in Viljoen St at about lunch time today. The resident is not a Mamba client or Road Closure member so, at this point in time, details are very sketchy. It may be that the 4 robbers came in on foot but we still have to confirm if this is the case and what was stolen. As we get new information we will let you know.
12 November 2015
Below is some general feedback from the committee and a request for residents to help us tackle a couple of issues -
Adverts - Over the years we have many requests about putting adverts on our gates. The committee was concerned that this would not be controlled resulting in an unsightly advertising mess. A policy was drawn up that limits adverts to 2 companies per year for which a small fee is levied (the additional revenue does help with some of our costs). At this point in time the two approved companies are On-Tap Plumbing and Pam Golding. Please can residents refrain from interfering with or removing any of these signs. We all benefit from the additional revenue.
Succession - This is a major concern for the committee. Year after year we ask for fellow residents to sit on the committee. The average age of your committee is 61 and in the not too distant future committee members will be retiring. Our concern is that if this is not done in a managed and orderly fashion the financial and operational processes we have worked hard to implement will fail resulting in a collapse of the closure. We are asking residents who are interested in the ongoing sustainability of our closure to get in touch with us, come to a couple of meetings and see if you would be interested in sitting on the committee. Perhaps some of those residents who are more vocal whenever there is a problem and have a lot to say about how the closure should be run would consider becoming more directly involved?
New Residents - We are sure that the closure and our low crime stats is a major factor when deciding to buy in our suburb. We have a wonderful lady, Carmen, who has undertaken the very difficult task of trying to convince new (and some old) residents to start contributing to the closure. It is a thankless task (but hugely appreciated by the committee). It would appear that some newer residents are making life difficult for her and giving her the run around regards meeting with her and not contributing. Please make the time to speak to her and also read the document attached to this email.
Residents Not Contributing - We don't think this group realises how much of an influence they have on the future of the closure or the impact they have on contributing residents. For this reason we have decided to ask the contributing residents of this suburb to help us pull out all the stops in getting the message across. Please can all residents read the attached document which summarises the benefits of the closure and the concerns related to an ever decreasing contribution rate. If you are contributing and live next to someone who is not contributing please can you give them a copy of this document either directly (if you know them) or post it in their letter box or stick it to their gate. Mark the document "Urgent, please read". If all residents act on this we can get the message across in a day or two. We will be asking you to repeat this task for a few weeks to ensure the message is not ignored. If response is poor we will then commission a printer to print and distribute. This will come at a cost and take more time so this is why we are appealing to all residents to please help.
If you are not contributing and receive this email please can you seriously reconsider your position?
29 October 2015
There was an incident in Barbara St today at about 2 pm. At this stage I do not have detailed information to provide but we do know robbers jumped over the wall and entered the home. The resident's children were home and locked themselves in a room. The robbers made off with TV's and other valuables. We have had a report that there was either a silver or brown Audi involved but we have no registration number. Once I have more clarification I will let you know. --
Remember to always maintain a high level of awareness, especially when you are leaving or entering your home/driveway. Please tell your family and domestic workers to also be on the lookout. Report all suspicious behaviour to Mamba control room (tel number below) and warn the residents using @ESRCAlert.
20 September 2015
Watch out for a white Golf GTi ZWK 110 GP. With 5 b/m occupants who were involved in 3 armed robberies in Edenvale this weekend. In most cases the victims had their gates open allowing easy access.
27 August 2015
Documents for the 12th AGM 2015 for 17 September 2015
26 August 2015
We sent out an @ESRCAlert yesterday evening about guys going around our suburb in a white bakkie selling top soil or lawn dressing.
To follow up on this - there have been numerous reports about these guys. Many people have reported them on the I Love Edenvale facebook page and there was a story last year on them in the local news. People have reported that they offer to show a sample and before you know it most of your front lawn is done and then they demand R2000 - R3000 for the soil. They also say it will only cost R300 then say they underestimated, had to use more bags and then, again, demand amounts in the thousands of rands. People have also reported that the soil is very poor quality and full of weeds. Many say they are very aggressive especially to the elderly and women on their own.
Be on the alert for these tricksters.
25 August 2015
There has been a report of a White late model Hyundai, 2 males, cruising slowly through the suburb yesterday afternoon. If you see anything suspicious please call Mamba and instantly warn our residents using the Twitter @ESRCAlert id.
21 August 2015
Here is an announcement about the anti hijacking seminar that Mamba will be running.
19 August 2015
The AGM will be held on 17th September at 19:00. The venue is the Edenglen Primary School.
In order to prepare and better manage our time during the meeting please can residents submit, in writing, any questions they may have to this email address. Questions will only be accepted from paying members of the closure. Closing date and time for questions is 10th September at 17:00.
9 August 2015
We are sure a few of you have noticed the bent exit and entry booms at gate 2 (by the high school).
Someone who was not in their "right state of mind" did this last night. With the aid of some sharp eyed residents and photos we have tracked down the person who did this and gave him two options - pay for the booms to be repaired or have a criminal charge lodged against him. He has agreed to pay for the repairs.
8 August 2015
Some additional details about the arrest of the criminals who have been active in Edenvale over the last few weeks:
On Friday, 7 August at 13:45 Mamba Guard Ramazhile noticed the Silver BMW that has been involved in criminal activity in the Edenvale area, entering the booms at Harris and Erasmus. He pressed his panic and notified Mamba Senior Controller, Frans who sent the Mamba Special Operations Unit to the scene. Special Operations Commander, Jaconiah spotted the vehicle. The Unit gave chase through Illiondale where the BMW was involved in an accident. The suspects fled on foot through a veld and into a taxi. CPF members managed to get the details of the taxi and informed SAPS who in turn stopped the taxi and found the 3 suspects from the BMW. All 3 were arrested.
7 August 2015
Some good news:
The Silver 3 series BMW was spotted in Edenvale today. Mamba gave chase and the BMW crashed in Illiondale. 3 suspects got away on foot and got in to a mini bus taxi. Mamba managed to get a description and registration number from a resident and they passed this to SAPS who took up the chase. The taxi was stopped and the 3 suspects were arrested.
We would like to thank all of you for sticking together as a community, not panicking and supporting us and Mamba during this testing period. Additional activities were planned with Mamba over this weekend but these will no longer be necessary. However - we should ALWAYS remain alert wherever we go as it could prevent you from becoming a crime victim.
4 August 2015
Those of you who follow our Twitter alert id @ESRCAlert would have picked up that the Silver BMW SVK413GP was involved in a hi jacking in Eastleigh this morning. Please be on the lookout for this vehicle wherever you go in Edenvale.
Mamba are hosting an NSF tomorrow in Edenglen South(see attached). These are targeted at anyone who is normally at home during the day, including domestic staff. The purpose is to make sure people know how to observe and report crime or anything suspicious.
30 July 2015
There were some requests to find out how things are going in other closures. For some reason getting this information is proving to be difficult to get but I have managed to receive the official comms from the River Ridge Secure Village where criminals were shot by a resident. It is not really a surprise to see they struggle with the same issues we do and put out a very similar message.
30 July 2015
A Silver 3 series BMW SVK413GP was spotted in Eastleigh this morning by a resident who contact the Mamba control room who dispatched Special Ops to the area. The Special Ops Commander gave chase. Shots were fired at him resulting in an accident on the Modderfontein Rd. The Commander is OK. The BMW got away.
The incident is on the Bedfordview Edenvale news web site, and includes a picture of the Commander being treated by paramedics.
http://
bedfordviewedenvalenews.co.za/
263630/suspects-open-fire-
during-morning-traffic-in-
greenstone/
28 July 2015
We have received some feedback on this -
The incident was inside the closure of Dowerglen Ext3. They have one 24 hour boom entrance/exit point and a dedicated area vehicle. 3 suspects entered the suburb by breaking through the perimeter palisade fencing. They held a family up at gun point and, after two shots had been fired at him, the father managed to pull his own firearm and shot two of the suspects the third managed to flee the scene.
We sent out an email a few weeks ago warning residents that there is a trend of entering on foot. Please be aware of this and report anything suspicious to Mamba and alert the residents using the
twitter id @ESRCAlert in a twitter message.
Smartphones/tablets - Please ensure that you set your devices up with remote management and tracking services. This will allow you to remotely lock your phone, wipe any data of it and send an SMS to a phone of your choosing if the SIM card is swapped. This message includes the cell number of the new SIM that is inserted. But most importantly it allows you to track the phone if it is stolen. The phone manufacturer normally allows
you to do this and there are also third party applications that do this and are free to use such as AVG Mobile.
24 July 2015
Please see the comments and information from Mamba below. In addition to what is being done they will also put on an anti hijacking seminar. The seminar is highly recommended as we always encourage residents to be informed and proactive in their personal security, to be aware of their situation and that they have an important role to play in ensuring their own safety. Crime can happen anywhere in this country, on the way to work, on holiday or at a friends house in a different suburb. You can never let your guard down anywhere you go and this seminar will help you to be more aware, to avoid crime situations and what to do if you find yourself involved in a crime incident.
It should be noted that the additional services, patrols and investigation capability is provided by the Mamba team at no additional costs to the residents. The committee knows how expensive it is to run a security operation and we appreciate the additional attention and resources that Mamba are providing.
We have received many emails from the residents expressing support and confidence in the Committee and Mamba. We thank you for the encouraging words and ongoing support.
An interesting note - not one comment/suggestion/criticism we have seen has been directed at SAPS the people who are ultimately responsible for crime in our country. 10% of the budget, a R100 Billion, goes to policing. Many of us pay much more to the police (from tax) than we do to the closure and Mamba.
Dear Client
South Africa has experienced an upsurge in armed robberies and hijackings in the past few weeks. Of particular concern to us is when the safety and peace of mind of our clients are threatened. We are proud to be able to confirm that Mamba clients and in particular road closure clients have a lower risk of being a victim. While the statistics will show the success of this model, we constantly adapt and invoke emergency procedures to remain one step ahead of any threat.
We would like to assure you that we take any increase in risk in our footprint extremely seriously and would like to reassure our clients that intensive procedures have been implemented:
● Video footage of the suspects and their vehicles has been distributed to Edenglen South Guards and they are on high alert.
● This information has also been circulated to our guards at Edenglen North, Eastleigh Ridge, Highway Gardens, Isandovale, Eden Gardens, Hurlyvale and Harmelia.
● Mamba's Scooter Guards have contacted their network of confidential informants and launched investigations which in the past has led to the speedy arrests of murderers and drug dealers.
● Mamba and SAPS have held joint operations within the Edenglen South Road Closure.
● Mamba's highly trained Special Ops Team has been deployed in the area and can be seen at strategic points at high risk times.
Report suspicious activity, vehicles and individuals at any time should you feel that the safety of you or your family is threatened. The immediate and accurate reporting of information through the correct channels is essential.
THE CONTROL CENTRE EMERGENCY NUMBER IS (011) 609 0227
We encourage all our clients to take note of the attached hijacking tips. Contact Dominique@mambagroup.co.za to book your place at the Mamba Anti-Hijacking Seminar.
24 July 2015
We recently sent out a graphic of crime in Edenglen South. We keep informing residents that we are a successful closure and that our crime rate is very low compared to other areas. We have obtained stats from the Primrose CPF (sector 2) -
June 2015
House Break in 5
Motor Vehicle theft 4
Murder 1
Assault grievous bodily harm 18
Common Robbery 1
Drug Related 15
Drinking & Driving 12
Possession Stolen Property 4
Confiscated Goods
26g Dagga
2g Cocaine
4 Crack Rocks
8g Crystal Meth's
6 Firearms
390 lt Liquor
2 Stolen Vehicles
For the month of July there have been two murders so far.
We always have a view that one crime is one to many and continue to try and improve our operation. This is what our area could become if our closure is not sustained. For this we need the residents, the committee and Mamba to pull together.
24 July 2015
A number of issues have surfaced due to the incidents we have experienced this month. Rather than respond to individuals we will include all the residents. The suggestions/comments are not the majority view but we will share them with all residents in order to improve the understanding of how as closure is implemented and operated and what financial and legal constraints we have to operate under.
Communication - We are aware that in this day and age there are many ways to express views and opinions on various internet forums. We also have received a few emails via third parties rather than directly to our email address. We can't monitor everything and there is a good chance that your issues or concerns may go unanswered. If you wish to raise an issue or contact us then please make use of our official email address - it is monitored daily and you will receive a speedy response.
Meetings - There have been a few requests for these. It should be noted that instead of delaying while these are set up, the committee has already met with Mamba to discuss the current incidents, responses and what we can do moving forward. If residents do feel strongly about something we can set something up but the best route to take is to ask us via email first (we more than likely have already addressed the issue) and attend the AGM which will take place shortly.
Residents Suggestions - Below are some of the suggestions/comments we have received and our responses. It should be noted that we do receive suggestions from time to time but our biggest problem is manpower. In the past we have tried to implement these suggestions to improve security (specifically the very situation we find ourselves in) and contributions. When we called for help from the residents to implement these suggestions only 2 residents volunteered. It is all too easy too easy to sit behind a desk and fire off an email or a post but unless we have people who are prepared to act on these things there is very little that can be done.
Mamba - There has been some criticism leveled at Mamba. We can assure you that the Mamba team take these incidents at a personal level. They take pride in maintaining a crime free environment and would like nothing more than to catch or be part of an arrest of these criminals. We have reviewed their response to these incidents and feel they are well within normal parameters. They are also taking proactive steps to make additional Mamba and Police patrols within our area. They have had to deal with a lot of confusion over the last few days regarding how incidents are reported and varying descriptions of the criminals and the vehicle. The Committee believes that Mamba is the best provider for the job at hand. We have had several reviews of our providers and think there is no better company than Mamba to run our closure and manage the current situation
We need to move from Mamba - This has been tried in the past with SSG. For every resident who is unhappy with Mamba there are 100 who are very happy and even threatened to withdraw from the closure if we changed. The big constraint here is that for this to be profitable for the new security provider, all the residents would have to switch their armed response away from Mamba. This is unlikely to happen. We have seen a big improvement in Mamba since SSG tried to enter our suburb. The committee continues to monitor (with assistance from the residents) the service provided by Mamba. We will take action if there are problems. We have done surveys with the residents and an overwhelming majority continue to support Mamba. We don't think it will be possible to get these residents to change their mind so would rather focus on improving the service.
20/20 Hindsight - Every time we have an incident it always amazes us how many people tell us they saw the car involved cruising around our suburb before hand or how the guards at a particular gate are not doing their job properly. We have asked residents on several occasions to report any concerns regards the guards to us. We do act on these and in the past the guards have been disciplined, sent for re-training or even fired. We don't ignore these complaints and they are acted on. We also tell residents to report anything suspicious to Mamba and on our @ESRCAlert twitter id. Letting us know about the guards and reporting suspicious activity could prevent incidents from happening. This year (if memory serves us right) there have been ZERO complaints or compliments about the guards.
Guards are not doing their job - The guards are not spotting the vehicle coming into our suburb. This is valid and we have discussed approaches with Mamba. I am sure you have noticed we only have one guard on a boom. When we first started the closure, due to the horrific crime rate, we had over 85% homes contributing. We are now down to about 70%. With a decrease in contributions we have had to reduce the guards from two to one along with removing other services such as foot/bike patrols. With one guard on a boom there is always a chance, even if he is the most alert of guards, that he is involved with something else or going to the toilet and will not see the vehicle. Criminals will wait for such moments and take advantage. They will also use different cars and number plates, walk in on foot, arrive in a car and get dropped off, climb over perimeter walls and (as has been suggested) even live in our area. If someone is determined to do something then who knows what could happen. By making it more difficult most times the criminals will go somewhere else and find an easier target. We have said, many times in the past, that a closure (or any other mechanism to prevent crime) will never be 100% foolproof. However, from our stats (see item on our suburb is going to hell) we know our closure has been exceptionally effective in reducing crime. We would also like to point out that the guards have, in the past, been involved in arrests.
Lock Down the Suburb during an incident - We are legally required to keep the gates open at times specified by the council and cannot afford to do something that will give the council an opportunity to remove our closure. To be honest - we don't want to do this because we believe it will endanger residents lives. If the criminals arrive at a gate and it is closed there will probably be a queue of cars at the gate. The criminals will not then put their hands up and ask to be arrested. They will get out of their car go up to the first car in the queue and, if we are lucky, pull the person out and drive through the gate. They really don't care about you or your car while trying to get away. If we are unlucky there could be a shootout at the gate/boom. What happens if it is early morning or lunch time and the gate is next to a school? We can't afford to have school kids let alone residents mixed up in something like this. The best option is to get them out of our suburb as quickly as possible and let Mamba work together with SAPS and the tracking companies to try and make arrests. We also have a few residents who ask why Mamba can't respond faster and "take these guys out". We understand the sentiment and would like for nothing more but there is a further situation which is just as bad as the one above. If Mamba/SAPS arrives while the criminals are in a house with the residents we now have a hostage situation in which you and your family are involved. The primary objective of the road closure is to ensure the safety of resident and their families. The wisest course of action is to stand off and then take these guys on after they leave your house. Just before we closed we had two murders in our suburb - we definitely do not want this to happen again.
Our Suburb is Going to Hell - Every incident of crime is one too many but some perspective needs to be applied. These are our first incidents this year. It is impossible to tell how many incidents have been prevented by the closure but if you look to the six months before we closed, in addition to the two murders, we had 26 hijackings, 18 armed robberies and numerous break ins to houses and cars. Property values have increased in our suburb and it has became a desirable place to live - the closure has contributed positively to this. Suburbs around us are much worse off. We hear of murders/crime in secure estates and complexes. We can never assume we are safe anywhere and become complacent.
Change the closure, move the gates to exclude the schools - This option will not work. It is more than likely that council will not approve this and even if they do they will still specify that the relocated booms/gates need to be open to accommodate morning and lunch time traffic. This is why we have to open up Steyn and Wagenaar/Palliser even though they are some distance from the school. Council will not tolerate disruptions to traffic flow. Then there are the residents, especially paying members, who will be left out of the closure. Are people suggesting that we sacrifice these families? All they need to do is get the effected homes together and object to the application. All it takes is one objector to slow things down by years. A large group of objectors would ensure that the new closure is never approved. To apply to change the closure will take a long time and costs can exceed R40 000. The residents would have to run and fund this initiative which the Committee feels will not make any improvements on the current situation.
People need to sign in and we need resident lanes and visitor lanes to enter our suburb - We do not have enough road space to do this and it is impractical. Criminals will sign in using any name. I have heard of people signing in with names such as Micky Mouse and completely different id's and number plates. A criminal will not give his true identity he can also walk in or climb over fences. I have been through some of these closures and have never signed in once. Then there is the non contributing resident who does not have a sticker and is coming home and we make him go in the visitor lane and sign in. End result - complaint to council, closure taken down.
Cameras not working - Yes from time to time our cameras don't work and we are constantly checking, upgrading and aligning. The reason why there are so many cameras at any gate is to be a contingency for cameras that breakdown. There was a comment about a guard saying none of the cameras are working. Please can the person who posted this let us know who the guard is and we will arrange to have him fired. Apart from the fact that he is completely wrong, standard operating procedure is to immediately report any infrastructure that is not working. We would like to point out that the pictures we circulated were taken from our cameras. We can't comment on the state of affairs regarding the North's cameras as they are a separately run entity. We have contacted them and are waiting for a response.
Put up posters of the crooks - our emails reach about 85% of the suburb. This is a much more effective way of circulating the pictures. It is not legal to put up posters or publish pictures until the accused has been found guilty. We don't want to get sued by someone.
I'm going to stop paying - If we don't stick together on this we will end up back where we started with a crime rate 50 times or more than what we are currently experiencing. The criminals would love for this to all fall apart. An affluent suburb with lots off rich pickings would be irresistible. All it takes is for a few homes to drop out and we would be running at a loss. We can't charge residents more than we have to and don't expect them to pay more than they have to for the people who are not contributing. So we just break even each month. A few homes drop out for long enough and the patrol car will have to go, even longer then the guards will go.
Our closure has to operate legally and there are several legislated acts and agreements with Council on how this should be done. If we do not follow the legislation and agreements we will lose our closure. Council specifies what roads can be permanently and temporally closed along with the operating times of our booms. We do not expect our residents to know what these acts/agreements specify but hopefully we have given you some idea.
Although the closure has reduced crime significantly, from time to time, criminals will get through and commit crimes in our suburb. As we have grown up with ever increasing crime in our country we all know how things change and it is always a constant battle against crime. We put in burglar bars they come through the roof, we put in high walls they bring a ladder, we put in car alarms they hijack us, we put in electric fences and gates and armed response they wait till we leave our gate or stop at a traffic light. It is never ending and the criminals are always looking for a way round things or to break us.
The last line of defence will always be YOU and for this reason we always go on about taking care of your personal security and taking extra caution when entering or leaving your gate. Time and time again it is the point when you are most vulnerable and where the crime is committed so please take care.
18 July 2015
There was a robbery last night in du Plessis St around 20:45. Cell phones and jewelry were stolen by 2 armed men as the victim was entering their property. The victim said they saw a silver BMW 3 series sitting in the street before the incident. We are still trying to confirm if this was the same vehicle that was involved in the previous incident but for now we should assume the worst case and that we are being targeted by these criminals. Please can you be extra alert when leaving and arriving at your homes. If you see anything suspicious do not attempt to leave or enter your driveway, call Mamba immediately and alert the residents using the twitter handle @ESRCAlert so we can all be on the lookout for this vehicle and feedback information to Mamba.
Criminals move from area to area and it looks like we are being targeted. Please make sure everyone in your household is aware of this. We have attached photos of one of the suspects. Be on the lookout for a silver BMW 3 series with 2-3 black males.
14 July 2015
There was a hijacking at 08:00 this morning in Granville Rd. A resident and her daughter were returning home when they were blocked in by 2 armed black males in a Silver 3 Series BMW registration number CV 05 JK GP. A Nissan Qashqai was stolen and has since been recovered in Alex. No injuries were reported.
Please can all our residents be on the alert for the BMW and report anything suspicious to Mamba and alert the residents using the twitter @ESRCAlert id. --
Remember to always maintain a high level of awareness, especially when you are leaving or entering your home/driveway. Please tell your family and domestic workers to also be on the lookout. Report all suspicious behaviour to Mamba control room (tel number below) and warn the residents using @ESRCAlert.
Regards,
Derek
On behalf of the Edenglen South Road Closure Committee
Committee: Kim Johnson, Des Kelly, Derek Gowans, Dave Lones.
Emergency - Mamba (011 609 0227)
SAPS Sector 3 vehicle 071 675 6844/5
Twitter - use @ESRCAlert to report suspicious activity or crime in progress to our suburb.
www.edenglensrc.blogspot.com - Community notice board. Do not post crime reports or closure operational issues here rather use our email for this.
14 July 2015
We have heard of a few incidents outside our suburb where the criminals walk into a suburb and rob or burgle homes. They then walk out (or hop over fences) with small items they can carry on themselves such as cash, jewelry and cell phones. In the past we have asked residents to be suspicious of cars with more than one occupant cruising around or parked in our suburb. Please also pay attention to groups of males walking or hanging around our area. Please report anything suspicious to Mamba and alert the residents using @ESRCAlert.
Below is our crime stats for this year and the last 4-5 years:
29 June 2015
We had an incident in Greeff St last week at 02:20. Garden sensors set of the alarm and the resident informed us Mamba responded very efficiently. There is no description of the criminals or their vehicle but the resident said the vehicle sounded like it was fitted with a sports exhaust.
After a quiet 6 months we have had a few attempted break-ins. Please be on the alert and check your security is in working order. We will discuss with mamba and give you further feedback if we hear anything further.
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Remember to always maintain a high level of awareness, especially when you are leaving or entering your home/driveway. Please tell your family and domestic workers to also be on the lookout. Report all suspicious behaviour to Mamba control room (tel number below) and warn the residents using @ESRCAlert.
Regards,
Derek
On behalf of the Edenglen South Road Closure Committee
Committee: Kim Johnson, Des Kelly, Derek Gowans, Dave Lones.
Emergency - Mamba (011 609 0227)
SAPS Sector 3 vehicle 071 675 6844/5
Twitter - use @ESRCAlert to report suspicious activity or crime in progress to our suburb.
www.edenglensrc.blogspot.com - Community notice board. Do not post crime reports or closure operational issues here rather use our email for this.
13 June 2015
Things have been quiet for a while now but unfortunately there were 2 incidents this week.
There was an attempted break in an Wagenaar St around 4 am on Wednesday.
On Friday there was a robbery in Granville Rd. The criminals gained access through the main gate which the gardener left open while working in the front garden. The criminals used a white VW Amarok.
Over the years we have pointed out how important it is to make sure your main gate and security gates are always closed/locked. If you enter or leave your gate it must be done as quickly as possible. It is important that your family and staff are aware of this. Most of the crimes that are committed in our suburb have been on an opportunistic basis. There have been a few crimes where the crooks have followed people home after they have drawn cash from an ATM but normally the criminals cruise around until they spot an easy target. Please do not make it easy for them. We must always be aware that there is a possibility of us being targeted.
As we get more details of these or any other incidents we will let you know. Please remember to make use of our @ESRCAlert system to inform the suburb about any suspicious activity and always contact Mamba if there is anything suspicious going on.
27 May 2015
It is with deep regret that we announce the passing away of Alan Chenik. Alan has been a member of the Edenglen South Road Closure Committee since its inception twelve years ago. Alan was responsible for the maintenance portfolio of the closure. Our sincere condolences go out to his wife and family.
Regards,
The Edenglen South Road Closure Committee
25 March 2015
5 March 2015
5 February 2015
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4 February 2015
21 January 2015
There was a burglary in du Plessis St last week in the morning. I have no additional details to provide as the residents are not on our contact list. We have noticed a trend regards our incidents over 2014 and this year. Most incidents have involved non contributing households. We don't know the reason for this or if the trend will continue but we will continue to monitor and keep you posted.
16 December 2014
There was an armed robbery in Collins St on Friday
morning just after ten. The criminals forced their way through a
pedestrian gate and then entered the house through the open front door.
TV, jewellery, pc, tablets and cell phones were taken. No body was
harmed. I will keep you posted on any developments.
30 October 2014
10 September 2014
Documents for the 2014 AGM for 2 October 2014
20 September 2014
Warning of Water Shortages in Edenglen
Please see below from Heather Hart -
Evening,
Don’t know which is worse, an electricity or water outage, but at least with a water shortage I can still send you email.
OK – some 5 days OK there was a major water pipe burst supplying water to Ekurhuleni (and I think Joburg). This was fixed but although they were supplying water to reservoirs, they could not keep up with demand (to put it simply).
This has had a ripple effect and our reservoirs in Edenvale are now being effected – or so I believe at this point in time. (Can I ever believe what I am told?)
Suffice it to say that at this stage Isandovale reservoir is running dry – this effects all areas in Edenvale below it (Illiondale, Sebenza, Edenglen and parts of Hurlyvale). Soon the reservoir in the CBD will similarly run dry and this will affect most of the rest of Edenvale and then the Greenstone one and so it goes!
I have alerted our CCA manager (and everyone else) and if the needs arises we will be supplied with water tankers. In the meantime make friends with neighbours with pools – I have one – and at least if boiled you have drinking and washing water!
19 September 2014
I hope all of you on our Twitter @ESRCAlert system picked up the warning about a red golf and an attempted break in this morning. For those of you who are not on this system please sign up (instructions on our web site). I have been away for a few days and have been having problems with my internet connection, I also don't sit on email all day so it is not possible for to warn you instantly about events such as this. We do urge our residents to make use of @ESRCAlert.
I have also had a report of an attempted break in at 2:30 am yesterday morning and theft from cars. It looks like we are being targeted at the moment. Please, as always, remain vigilant and don't make it easy for these crooks. Our closure has had a significant reduction in crime levels but it is not possible to eradicate crime 100% from our suburb.
6 September 2014
The AGM will be held on 2/10/2014 at 7:00 pm in the Edenglen primary school.
Any questions for the meeting must be submitted in writing to this email address. Closing date for questions has been changed to 23/9/2014. Please note the closing dates for nominations. Only questions/nominations from paying members will be considered. Relevant documentation will be loaded onto our web site in due time.
28 August 2014
The AGM will be held on 2/10/2014 at 7:00 pm in the Edenglen primary school.
Any questions for the meeting must be submitted in writing to this email address. Closing date for questions is 26/9/2014. Only questions from paying members will be considered.
1 August 2014
A resident reported that a white car with 2 black males tried to gain access to her property to read the meter this morning. This is normally down by one individual on foot. The maid refused to let them in. Please be ware and inform your staff.
A reminder about the Facebook page set up and maintained by one of our residents - this is also a useful source of information.
Remember to always maintain a high level of awareness, especially when you are leaving or entering your home/driveway. Please tell your family and domestic workers to also be on the lookout. Report all suspicious behaviour to Mamba and SSG (numbers below).
On behalf of the Edenglen South Road Closure Committee
Committee: Kim Johnson, Alan Chenik, Des Kelly, Derek Gowans, Dave Lones.
Emergency - Mamba (011 609 0227) or SSG (086 7272 774)
SAPS Sector 3 vehicle 071 675 6844/5
Twitter - use @ESRCAlert to report suspicious activity or crime in progress to our suburb.
www.edenglensrc.blogspot.com - Community notice board. Do not post crime reports or closure operational issues here rather use our email for this.
24 July 2014
9 June 2014
Some feedback from our latest committee meeting -
On the finances side of things we are running to budget but due to some power surges we have had a higher than expected maintenance bill due to replacing burnt out electrical components.
We always ask you to provide feedback on poor security service providing the location/gate, day, time and incident. We would like to also focus on positive behaviours and ask if you can provide us with feedback on good service. We will arrange for the guards with the most/best feedback to receive a small recognition reward. So please let us know.
Contributor signs - it has come to our attention that there are some residents who display the signs but do not contribute. If you are not contributing please can you remove the sign? Note that these signs are provided by the closure/Mamba and, in cases such as this, we will remove them if the resident does not do so. If we can't remove them we will place a sticker over the contributor part of the sign.
Please continue to sign up for @ESRCAlert on Twitter (instructions on our web site). The initiative has been well received but the numbers need to improve to be as effective as possible. Remember that we also have our blog (address below) for residents to post what is on their mind, post about lost pets, advertise for jobs etc....
27 May 2014
I have just received and alert on our Twitter @ESRCAlert system about a white vehicle with multiple males claiming they are from the dept. of labor and asking domestics for personal information. While this may be legitimate it is always best to be suspicious and to inform your domestic workers not to engage with people they do not know or to let them onto the property.
If you are not yet on our alert system then I would advise you to do this asap. There is a big benefit in getting instantly alerted to any problems within out suburb. Instructions on how to do this are on our web site (see link below).
1 April 2014
I see someone has posted a notice on our blog (web address below) about finding a lost dog.
More people are joining our @ESRCAlert system but it is slow going. If you have not already joined then please do so. This is an initiative which will allow us all to look out for each other. We do send out test messages from time to time in order to get you used to the format of the messages. They will always start with the word TEST so please do not panic when you see them. There is no need to acknowledge test or any other messages unless you have an update on anything suspicious or current criminal activity. Instructions on how to join and use the service are on our web site.
20 March 2014
We have over 150 users of the new @ESRCAlert system. Thanks to those who signed up and have been sending reports of suspicious vehicles/people. We will send test messages on a frequent basis to get you used to the format and info the alerts should contain. These will always have the word TEST at the start of the message. If not then you should treat the alert seriously. Visit our website to see instructions on how to sign up. This initiative is all about the residents looking out for each other by posting alerts so the more who sign up the better. If you have a phone that can run Twitter then please sign up for this asap. If you are unsure how to use Twitter we can try to get some users to volunteer to help you out.
Please remember our blog site for the residents to use to advertise or comment on life in general. I see a person has posted an add for a pet sitter in the holidays - I am sure there are a few kids out there who would like to earn some extra pocket money.
14 March 2014
There was an armed robbery in van der Walt road last week. Apologies in the delay in getting this information out as we had a problem in our communication process. A lady resident was followed home from Greenstone and robbed just after she entered her driveway. We have attached a photo of the person/car involved. Please note the number plate is false.
As per our previous incident the lady was followed from Greenstone shopping centre and robbed at home. Our photos show that as she passed through the booms she was talking on her cell phone and this may have contributed to a lack of awareness on what was going on around her. In all our emails we do stress that entering and leaving home is where a crime is most likely to be committed and that we all need to be especially cautious at this point. If we are being distracted or are not aware of what is going on the criminals will take advantage.
We think it is safe to assume there are gangs operating in the nearby shopping centres. In particular our lady residents or people on their own will be vulnerable. The criminals walk around the shopping centre observing you, watching what you buy, looking at your jewellery, and noting how much cash you draw from an ATM. They select a victim (someone probably by themselves) and then follow you and commit the crime off site. We can never afford to let our guard down for a second – wherever we are. Please make sure your family is aware of this.
Remember to sign up for our Twitter alert system @ESRCAlert, it is a way to warn everyone immediately about a crime being committed or a crime in progress.
21 February 2014
The Mamba scooter patrols have started as of today. This is part of Mambas ongoing initiative to improve security and there presence in our closure. Please note they will be operating across a number of closures and are not exclusive to our area.
@ESRCAlert - we have 125 people signed up for alerts using twitter. Please make every effort to get on board. We need to be sitting at 200 plus for this to be successful. The more people looking out and reporting the better. This is a first for a closed area in SA and we would really like it to succeed. See our web site for info on how to sign up. www.edenglensouthclosure.
co.za
Community blog - there have been some postings for employment and there is further discussion from parents wanting to get together and arranging play dates for their kids. www.edenglensrc.
blogspot.com
13 February 2014
4 February 2014
There was an incident in Edendale St on Friday lunch time where 3 criminals jumped a wall and assaulted and robbed a lady who had returned form the shops and was offloading her shopping. One of the criminals was armed with a handgun. Handbag, keys, cell phone was stolen including a sum of cash. We are trying to determine how the criminals entered the suburb as it is not clear if they were on foot or in a car and if they perhaps followed the lady home after she drew cash. Sorry about the delay in reporting this but the information has been sketchy and has come to me in bits and pieces. Those of you on the twitter @ESRCAlert alert system should have received a notice about this on Friday. If further details emerge I will let you know.
Please note that more residents are using our community blog/noticeboard and some recent entries include -
Lost BMW keys, a young man looking for employment in his gap year, someone looking for a domestic, yoga classes in Edenglen, ongoing debate on the legality of closing Vincent Park, some responses to the non paying resident's comments, and a lost iguana and a mother of young kids who would like to meet similar parents and asks about a street party/event. We ask that residents check in on this site as we will gradually send fewer reminders about it and leave it up to the residents to keep up to date.
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Remember to always maintain a high level of awareness, especially when you are leaving or entering your home/driveway. Please tell your family and domestic workers to also be on the lookout. Report all suspicious behaviour to Mamba and SSG (numbers below).
Regards,
Derek
23 January 2014
Vehicle Alert:
Please be on the lookout for a white hatchback with a sticker covering the back window. Registration LTG031GP. Occupants are 2 whites males . It has been seen loitering near Viljoen/Sadie Street. SAPS confirms the number plate is false. Call Mamba if you see the vehicle.
This notice was posted on our twitter alert @ESRCAlert so hopefully many of you received it immediately. We now have 101 followers. We will be pushing for our second hundred as we think this will be a valuable tool for residents to keep each other informed about crime or suspicious activity in our suburb. If you have not signed up please do so asap. Instructions are on our web site.
16 January 2014
I have published our crime stats to end 2013 - see below.
We now have 92 people following @ESRCAlert - I will keep nagging until we get a majority of our residents signed up. Go to our website for info on how to get the service. Thanks to Dave for sending an alert about a blue Toyota this morning. Thanks to Mamba for sending 3 cars into our area to investigate.
Things on our blog site www.edenglensrc.blogspot.
com are heating up with many more residents posting comments. There are comments in the pets section (a pet whisperer for lost pets), starting a neighborhood watch at night, questioning if it is illegal to close the park and comments by a a non paying resident on why he is not paying. We have responded on the blog to the non payer but, as comments are anonymous, have asked him to get hold of us to see if we can address his issue. It is all there on the blog for all of you to read and comment.
13 December 2013
.
25 November 2013
15 November 2013
Feedback from the CPF meeting:
Tthanks to Gary for providing. Gary has been doing this for 2 years now without any assistance. If there are any other residents who are prepared to assist please let me know?
· Residential burglaries are up so please be vigilant
· These seem to be mostly inside job’s
· Prepare your house if you are going on holiday
o Check your alarm
o Stop post deliveries or get someone to collect the post form your house.
o Get light switches that put lights on and off
· There is a man in a white bantam driving around and makes as if he has broken down. He then approaches your house and acts on your good will asking for money to get the vehicle towed.
· SAPS reported excessive crime in Hurlyvale which confirms that the closure failure directly relates to an increase in crime.
· SAPS are beginning their festive season operations so please be patient if you do get stopped in a road block etc. it is for our benefit that they are doing this.
13 November 2013
There was an armed robbery in Holtzhausen Street this morning. The family was surprised as they were reversing out of their home. They were locked up at gun point and a Silver Merc (XJT 169GP), plasma TV and handbag was taken. A Silver Audi was involved again and it looks like it was the same vehicle that was involved in our previous incident and several incidents in Hurlyvale. Please can all residents be on high alert as it looks like the east side of Edenvale is being targeted at the moment.
If you need to report anything suspicious or a crime call Mamba and the SAPS sector vehicle on the numbers below:
Emergency - Mamba (011 609 0227) or SSG (086 7272 774)
8 November 2013
It will take 2-3 weeks to roll out the new signs across our suburb so please be patient. The signs will allow us to direct the services of the closure, such as the 24 hour patrol vehicle, when required to those who fund these services.
To all the residents who have responded to our appeal to sign up - a big thank you. We still have a way to go to ensure the financial sustainability of the closure We will be discussing this at our next committee meeting and will get back to you on our plans.
5 November 2013
There was another incident in Hurlyvale yesterday. A white BMW with three black occupants, lifted the gate off it’s tracks and broke through the security gate and the main door. There was a maid in the house who was tied up but unharmed. They took a laptop, cell phones, ipad, and jewellery.
A lesson – can your gate be lifted off it’s tracks? – if so, then it’s an easy target.
We are especially appealing to non contributors to come forward and sign up. We are running at a loss and this is the future we face unless we can get more residents to join up. Thanks to those of you who have come forward and are now making a contribution to our closure. At this stage every bit helps
1 November 2013
Hurlyvale was hit with a robbery on Wednesday and an armed robbery yesterday. Silver Audi was involved. There is a crime wave going through Edenvale at the moment so please be alert at all times and call in anything suspicious.
Please see below, keep a look out for a Silver Audi RHJ 808.
Please circulate the attached pic of the Silver Audi A4 that has been involved in 3 Robberies in Hurlyvale and one in Edenglen during October 2013.
Let’s get the word out there and get these guys caught !!!!
If you see this vehicle – DO NOT APPROACH THEM , THEY ARE ARMED AND DANGEROUS !!!!!!!! Please call the SAPS Sector Vehicle immediately on 071 675 6844 or 071 675 6845 and Mamba
30 October 2013
14 October 2013
In order to keep residents up to date on the AGM we agreed to publish my draft/rough notes from the meeting. Please note that these are my notes and are not the official committee approved minutes and that they are subject to changes, additions or deletions. Please excuse any typo or spelling errors. Click here for AGM Meeting Notes
11 October 2013
There was an armed robbery in Edendale Road East this morning. Laptops, cell phones and a substantial amount of cash were stolen along with a silver Mercedes BK25ZVGP. The suspects were driving a silver Audi A4 RHJ808GP. This is all the information I have at the moment. As I find out more I will let you know.
10 October 2013
8 October 2013
*** Don't Forget: The AGM will be held at 19:00 on Wednesday 9th October 2013 at the Edenglen Primary School.
17 September 2013
Driveway Awareness
The driveway is one of the most dangerous points for criminals to make contact to commit crimes. Therefore, when you are approximately two minutes away from a destination, please adhere to the following:
· Switch off the radio and DO NOT talk on your cell phone, especially when driving into the driveway.
· Scan your surroundings for any vehicles following you. Especially when leaving a shopping centre or after visiting a bank.
· ALWAYS LOOKOUT for two or more unknown males on foot or in a vehicle in your immediate environment.
· STAY ALERT and FOCUSED when entering or exiting your vehicle. BE AWARE of who is in your immediate environment.
· DO NOT LEAVE the driveway gate open unnecessarily. Close the gate immediately after you have entered or exited the driveway.
· If you believe you are being followed especially when coming from a shopping centre– DO NOT STOP OR GO HOME! Continue driving and call Mamba
Domestic/Staff Awareness
Please brief all domestic workers and staff to be vigilant when taking out the dustbins on rubbish collection day (Tuesday).
· They must take a panic button with them
· Ensure they are let out the property with no gate remotes/keys to the house and then let back in.
CAP’s ICCC also stress the importance of pre-employment vetting of staff.
Before hiring domestic staff, contractors, or security guards, please ensure to do the following:
· Polygraph test and criminal background fingerprint check
· Reference checking of past employment
· All employee documentation should be stored in a safe place
12 September 2013
Dear Derek
Just wanted to let you know that we do background checks, and finger printing for criminal records.
We are the East Rand agency for EMPS. I can send you more details, but perhaps because we are local it maybe easy for residents to send them to us. It cost around R250.00 for peace of mind.
With Kind Regards
Sheila Hair (13 Amanda Rd)
MANAGING MEMBER
Rob Samuelson International JHB
Specialising in Hospitality and Finance Recruitment
Creating Opportunities...
Tel: (011) 452 6688
4 September 2013
The notice for the AGM is attached, it contains a graph on the number of paying households. Please note we have extended the deadline for questions from paying members to 9th September.
Click here AGM Documents to view or download the documents for the AGM.
30 August 2013
Monthly Committee Meeting
Reminder - AGM questions close 31/8. Our survey, http://srvy.it/1anjPI,
for the AGM closes 6th September. The AGM will be held at 19:00 on the 9th October 2013 at the Edenglen primary school. Thank you to all who have sent us questions and responded to our survey.
We held our meeting last night and we spent most of our time looking through the financials. In the past we have managed to match expenses and income but we are now about R 30 000 in the red. This is due to two factors 1) In the last few months we have had larger than expected maintenance bills and 2) Small drop in residents making monthly contributions.
Kim will be discussing the contribution rate at the AGM but this is becoming a concern for us. We have reviewed our expenses and if we can't increase revenue we will have to seriously consider dropping the 24 hour patrol vehicle. We have already dropped services such as bike/foot patrols due to decreasing income. The danger of this is that residents may feel they they are not getting value, spending too much on security, resent the people who are not paying and then they withdraw and a downward spiral is created and we end up where Hurlyvale is today - no guards or part time guards and gates being left open.
We have no doubt that while the closure does not cut crime by 100% it has significantly reduced our crime rate. Before we closed you had a 15% chance of becoming a victim of a serious crime (based on pre-closure stats and 600 houses) at the moment the percentage is 0.5% (based on last 12 months stats). Since we closed about ten years ago crime has increased in SA so the 15% is now a conservative number. There is also the issue of re-saleability of homes, I am sure many of us would never have bought in this area if it were not closed and if all the gates were left open it certainly would be harder to sell homes at current prices.
It looks like the future of our closure is very much in the hands of the non-payers. We can increase fees but this just puts more of a burden on the people who pay and this cannot be sustained while non payers are reaping the security and financial benefits. It is ironic but many of the non payers feel free to complain about the service and when they become victims of crime they blame the committee and the security companies rather than taking a good look at themselves.
I am sure we will get many emails asking what the committee is doing about this. These mails do not help - we are only 5 people who volunteer part time to do our bit for the suburb, the residents now need to rather ask what they can do to help resolve this situation. As mentioned above, this topic is on our AGM and will be discussed at the meeting.
15 August 2013
There was a break in this morning in Ferrero St. The police were passing by at the time and there was a shoot out with the perpetrators. As far as we know this house had no alarm system or armed response. They escaped by driving their vehicle, a white Hyundai H1 through the gate at van der Walt St.
We will repair the gate as quickly as possible. As I get more details I will let you know.
07 August 2013
There was an armed hold up in the Isandovale Closure last night.
The incident occurred at 19h05 in Laboria Road - A resident had been to the airport to collect a guest; on arriving back at their home they were approached by 3 suspects armed with 2 x 9mm pistols. The guest and resident was made to turn over all their belongings, including cell phones, cash, digital camera, sunglasses and vehicle keys.
The suspects drove off in a Blue Polo Vivo reg: BL22LTGP. No injuries were reported.
We must always remember to be on our guard - in particular when exiting or entering our driveways. In fact - wherever we go! Being observant could prevent you from becoming a crime victim.
29 July 2013
AGM: We have struggled to book a date for this but can now confirm the AGM will be held on the 9th October 2013. We will send out details/documentation at a later date.
To ensure we manage to the meeting agenda we will not take questions from the floor during the AGM. However all closure members are invited to make written submission, via email, up to August 31st 2013. The committee will respond to the written questions during the AGM meeting.
2 July 2013
Below is a summary of the latest CPF meeting – thanks to Gary for attending and summarising.
Some notes from the CPF:
· We reported on some homeless people in Edenvale, a couple were taken to a shelter in Pretoria where they were given clothes and food. The have subsequently run away and stolen goods from the shelter.
· The Edenvale police station are busy having a routine audit and looking positive at the moment. We should have feedback next month.
· 4 window washers were arrested at Greenstone but more appeared.
· Men were seen selling puppies at the Greenstone robots, if you see this please call SAPS.
· EMPD have requested that you please report street signs missing, street names etc. as they do not have a team for that and you can greatly assist.
· Congratulations to SAPS who have confiscated 5 million rand worth of drugs from January to date.
· The CPF Motto is: A safer Edenvale for everyone, so please join us yourselves at the CPF meetings so that we can fulfil this motto (Last Thursday of every month @ Fahrenheit)
24 June 2013
On Sunday June 16, 2013 at around 3pm a resident of Sunninghill was pulled off the road in Navasha Road near the intersection of Naivasha and Tana Roads by an unmarked black VW GTI with blue lights inside the vehicle.
The occupants of this vehicle were dressed in what looked like SAPS uniform with reflector jackets on. There were at least 4 or 5 suspects in the vehicle. The criminals demanded cash, jewellery and asked if there were any firearms. They robbed the victim and then fled. Although the lady occupant was taken to hospital suffering from shock she was later released and did not sustain any injuries. Sunninghill Community managed to obtain clear footage of the vehicle and its registration number – BY 04 JZ GP from their cameras on the corner. The suspect’s VW Golf had very dark tinted windows and expensive mags on the wheels.
This vehicle committed a similar crime in Rivonia about half an hour earlier.
Anyone seeing a black Golf with Blue light must call 10111 immediately and Captain Swanefelder of SAPS Douglasdale at
079-895-6710.
There is another fake SAPS vehicle, a Golf 6 GTI marked as a Flying Squad car, registration: BSF276B. Call sign: RR1003 and that has tracker aerials.
The occupants of the vehicle are in SAPS uniform. They are NOT police officers! This vehicle has been used in hijackings. It has been seen in Crown Mines, Buccleuch and in Florida at the Florida Finest Car Wash.
Please share!
--
Remember to always maintain a high level of awareness, especially when you are leaving or entering your home/driveway. Please tell your family and domestic workers to also be on the lookout. Report all suspicious behaviour to Mamba and SSG (numbers below).
17 June 2013
Yesterday around 11:30 a.m. a man got out of his car and assaulted the guard at gate 3. Apparently the guard was too slow to move the stop sign so the driver decided to stop and have a go at the guard. What many people do not know that even when the boom is up the cameras still continue to operate. The pictures are being handed over to Mamba/SAPS and a charge of assault will be laid against the young man involved.
4 June 2013
Please note that we have had a major fault in one of the boom’s motor at gate one. The bearings have to be replaced/repaired and this will take up to a week to do.
24 May 2013
We had our monthly committee meeting last night. There is not much to feedback on as things have been quiet in our suburb. Please do not become complacent with your security habits – the quieter things are the more you have to be on the look out! There is an item in our local paper on the arrest by SAPS of criminals who used a Silver Polo. We have not yet heard if they are the same group who were involved in our suburb. If we hear anything we will let you know.
Most of the meeting was taken up with maintenance issues such as damage to our gates and camera poles by vehicles. We are concerned about Gate 3 (Palliser and Wagenaar). In the early winter mornings drivers may not see the boom because the sun is directly in their eyes. If you use this entrance at this time please can you exercise caution and please inform your friends and family?
17 April 2013
I received the following from a resident -
"Hi there,
Just been having a chat with my new nanny/domestic worker and she told me on Sunday 14th April on her way back to our house from church at roughly 6pm, in Viljoen Street, she walked passed a group of about 20 people being addressed by a gentleman (she thinks he may have been from COSATU) notifying them that there will be a talk in Edenvale this coming weekend on how employers treat domestic workers/gardeners, etc and they must attend and fill out forms (addresses, employers details, pay structures, hours of working, conditions, etc) and if not being treated fairly they will help them go to the CCMA."
If this is legitimate then fair enough but our concern is that it may be a front to con your workers out of their money e.g. "pay us and we will get you better wages". If any of your workers have come across this please ask them to check the credentials of the person and warn them about the dangers of paying any money to these people. --
Remember to always maintain a high level of awareness, especially when you are leaving or entering your home/driveway. Please tell your family and domestic workers to also be on the lookout. Report all suspicious behaviour to Mamba and SSG (numbers below).
15 April 2013
15 April 2013
Guards will remain on Gate 2 until it is repaired on Tuesday or Wednesday
12 April 2013
Last night between 9:30 and 11:00 a car, leaving our suburb, ran into the gate at Gate 2 (Steyn/Baker). The driver of the car then forced his way through the gate, exited the suburb, turned right and drove west down Baker. Extensive damage was caused to the gate and we are getting this repaired as quickly as possible. In the meantime Mamba is guarding the gate.
We will be scanning through our picture database to pull photos. If you have any information regards this event please can you let me know?
8 April 2013
21 February 2013
We had a burglary in West St just before midday. The perpetrators used a silver golf with dark tinted windows . TV's and perfume were stolen. If I get any updates I will let you know. We have had a very quiet period regards crime and we urge our residents not to become complacent and develop a false sense of security. We can never forget that crime is always there and just waiting for any opportunity
when we let our guard down.
--
Remember to always maintain a high level of awareness, especially when you are leaving or entering your home/driveway. Please tell your family and domestic workers to also be on the lookout. Report all suspicious behaviour to Mamba and SSG (numbers below).
Regards Derek
21 January 2013
16 January 2013
Please be aware of this report we received from a resident and Mamba. Our guards and patrol vehicle have been informed.
I want to alert mamba that there is a 'white Isuzu' double cab with blue stripes on the side, driving through Edenglen enclosure. There was 5 men in it. They ride around and then knock on the gates to see if people are home.
8 January 2013
5 December 2012
20 November 2012
15 November 2012
5 November 2012
2 November 2012
29 October 2012
3 October 2012
There was am armed robbery in Brenda St this morning. Computers and cell phones were taken. There is a possibility that this was in inside job and the incident is under investigation. As we get more details, we will let you know.
Remember to always maintain a high level of awareness, especially when you are leaving or entering your home/driveway. Please tell your family and domestic workers to also be on the lookout. Report all suspicious behaviour to SSG and Mamba (numbers above).
20 September 2012
18 September 2012
NB. The AGM will be held on 19th September 2012 at 19:00 in the Edenglen Primary School.
6 September 2012
4 September 2012
There was an
Armed Robbery in Harmelia yesterday afternoon. The suspect's vehicle was a Silver Toyota
Fortuner, we do not have a registration. We all need to be on high alert as it
looks like the crime cycle is moving our way.
3 September 2012
There was a robbery in van der Walt road on Saturday 1/9/2012
at approximately 6:30 pm. The criminals were 5 black men in a Blue Audi
registration RYV 710 GP. I don’t have all the details but, again, this looks
like a crime of opportunity where they cruised around looking for an easy
target. We have had a quiet few months and it is important that we all be
especially aware as there may be repeat attempts. Criminal activity moves from
suburb to suburb and sticks around for a while until the criminals realise that
the residents are looking out for them. Please do not let your guard
down.
We have noticed that the same criminal was involved in the
May incident. Please see the photo “Photo 2”. A white Golf Gti was used by the
criminals. Please note the description of the criminal and that he wears a
large watch on his right wrist. These details and photos have been provided to
the SAPS.
--
Remember to always maintain a high level of awareness, especially when you
are leaving or entering your home/driveway. Please tell your family and
domestic workers to also be on the lookout. Report all suspicious behaviour to
SSG and Mamba (numbers below).
21 August 2012
You can view or print the AGM Documents.
14 August 2012
We have finalised the date and venue for the Road Closure
AGM.
The AGM will be held on 19th September 2012 at
19:00 in the Edenglen Primary School.
To give the committee a reasonable chance to properly answer
all questions please use our email address and submit them before 17:00 on
31st August 2012.
6 August 2012
We are having some issues finalising the date and venue for the AGM. As
soon as this is done I will send an update.
In the meantime we are taking questions from residents for
the AGM. Please note there will be no open forum questions during the AGM, all
questions must be received in writing by 17:00 on 31st August 2012
and they must be submitted by residents who are currently contributing to the
closure. Please email me your questions before the closing date and time? Any
questions received after this may not be included in the AGM
proceedings.
31 July 2012
30 July 2012
30 July 2012
23 July 2012
2 July 2012
2 July 2012
There has been a technical glitch at our bank and the debit order run did not go
through. The error has been rectified and the run will be done on Thursday 5th
July. Apologies for any inconvenience.
29 June 2012
22 June 2012
RESIDENTS are cautioned not to be fooled by bogus Eskom employees who have
convinced some homeowners to allow them entry into their homes on the pretext to
swapping old light bulbs for the new energy efficient globes.
The exchange is part of Eskom's legitimate energy efficency programme whereby
homeowners can have certain energy saving technolgies like bulbs and shower
heads installed by Eskom workers free of charge.
However, homewoners are warned not to be fooled by men posing as Eskom
workers. Reports have already been received of items stolen by bogus Eskom
workers who have gained entry into homes. Legitimate installers can be
identified by the white t-shirts with the wording “Free CFL distribution
project” printed on. They will also have Eskom identity cards with their photo
and id number on. Do not allow anyone else into your home.
15 June 2012
15 June 2012
14 June 2012
There was a fire last night in van der Walt street. Mamba
and the Fire Brigade were called and the fire was extinguished. The house is
being renovated and it would appear that the plastic on the roof caught fire
from a floating lantern that came from the
Erasmus Street area heading towards Baker Street. The cause is being
investigated and if you have any information about this Remember to always maintain a high level of awareness, especially when you
are leaving or entering your home/driveway. Please tell your family and
domestic workers to also be on the lookout. Report all suspicious behaviour to
SSG and Mamba (numbers below).
Regards,
Derek
1 June 2012
30 May 2012
10 May 2012
Feedback from the monthly (May 2012) Road Closure committee
meeting –
Maintenance issues continue to make life difficult and we
have had several problems with some of our booms. As mentioned in a previous
email, the faults mainly occur in older equipment and we are now considering
costs to repair vs. cost to replace with new equipment.
We were close to our end March budget - almost R3000
negative. This was due to an increase in repairs (mentioned
above).
We are asking if all residents can give us feedback on any
issues related to our security e.g. guard asleep at post, patrol car stationary
for 3 hours. We need your feedback to push for the maintenance of appropriates
service levels with our providers. If you see anything that you believe is not
right in terms of providing for our security then please can you drop us an
email. Provide the day/date, time, location and issue/description. The
committee is a small team of people who also have full time jobs and we can’t
watch the closure 24x7 so we do depend on residents to report back to us and
help to be our eyes and ears.
We have been considering options regards boom cycle times,
dual button pressed to enter, only the guards pressing to enter, keeping booms
down full time etc. but we keep coming back to the same issue. If the guards to
not conduct their duties properly then the process will fail. We will be
meeting with SSG to address but will depend on your reports to assist with
monitoring.
Please can all residents try and let the boom come completely
down before you press the exit/entry button? Our maintenance man reports that
many of our boom problems are caused by interrupting the boom cycle when it is
coming down. This causes excessive and unnecessary wear and tear on the motor
and gears.
We have been taking a re-look into wirelessly connecting all
the camera servers at our booms so we can access the images from one point. We
have done this exercise in the past and have come to the same conclusion - due
to costs, complexity and usability we will put this on hold for the time being.
We will, however, review from time to time as we feel that a working solution
will be of benefit in terms of speedy access to images.
We have been discussing some of the weaknesses in our closure
and all agree that a major weakness is that we have 2 service providers and it
has always been difficult to hold any provider singularly accountable for
managing and responding to crime in our suburb and so extract the maximum value
for our spend on security. We will continue to address this with the providers
and will be discussing some proposals with them.
One of the committee members attended the SAP JOC meeting for
all road closures in our area. Col. Roberts reported that crime in some areas
(Illiondale and Eastleigh) had increased by 400% with 5 or more houses being hit
every day. The offences were mostly theft from vehicles, hijacking and then a
group of criminals who use a long stick to fish for valuables through open
windows. Col. Roberts said that he believes the guards in closures could be
more effective (we agree) and we will be pushing SSG to improve
services. -- Remember to always maintain a high level of awareness, especially when you
are leaving or entering your home/driveway. Please tell your family and
domestic workers to also be on the lookout. Report all suspicious behaviour to
SSG and Mamba (numbers below).
Regards,
Derek
On behalf of the Edenglen South Road Closure Committee
Committee: Kim Johnson, Alan Chenik, Des Kelly, Derek Gowans, Dave
Lones.
3 May 2012
3 May 2012
DESIGN AND BRANDING COMPETITION AT
SCHOOLS
Mamba is getting a new fleet! Design the New Mamba Reaction Vehicle and you could WIN
R1,000-00 CASH. You will also WIN R1,000-00 for your school and 5 Artists will
each WIN R250-00 in a lucky draw.
Find attached entry form and colour in the New
Mamba Reaction Vehicle. Fill out your details and return it to your school, or
to Mamba Head Office (12 President Street Eastleigh). This competition applies
only to schools in the Mamba Area. Closing date: 4 May 2012. Terms and
conditions apply. Click here for Entry Form.
26 April 2012
Please can you all be on the lookout for this vehicle
-
Possibly the same white OPEL Astra that has been seen in our
area.
@seeandreport: Vehicle used in Hi-jacking at Heemskerk in Eastleigh
Ridge,
Edenvale is a White Opel Astra with reg VSG431GP. 3 Black men in
vehicle.
--
Remember to always maintain a high level of awareness, especially when you
are leaving or entering your home/driveway. Please tell your family and
domestic workers to also be on the lookout. Report all suspicious behaviour to
SSG and Mamba (numbers below).
Regards,
Derek
23 April 2012
Feedback from the Road Closure committee re: Mamba Presentation on 17 April 2012.
2 April 2012
Last Friday a house for sale in Phillip Medalie St. was robbed. The same criminals
were involved (two large black ladies and one male in his 30’s) and they used
the same method – one goes to the toilet and then helps herself to jewellery
while the owner is distracted. This time they were driving a White Mazda Midge
Hatchback, VMT539GP – there is torn steel above the beading on the driver door
and an Apple logo in the middle of the back window.
It looks like they are not attending show houses (yet) and
prefer to operate during the week and are very insistent on getting in to see
the house. If your house is for sale please inform your estate agent. If these
3 arrive at your gate please inform Mamba and SSG immediately.
Please can all residents be on the lookout for these three
and report them on the numbers below. I am sure that if all of us remain
observant and these criminals becoming complacent we will hopefully give them a
“big surprise.”
--
Remember to always maintain a high level of awareness, especially when you
are leaving or entering your home/driveway. Please tell your family and
domestic workers to also be on the lookout. Report all suspicious behaviour to
SSG and Mamba (numbers below).
Regards,
Derek
29 March 2012
Remember to always maintain a high level of awareness, especially when you are
leaving or entering your home/driveway. Please tell your family and domestic
workers to also be on the lookout. Report all suspicious behaviour to SSG and
Mamba (numbers below).
16 March 2012 There was an armed robbery in Taljaard street yesterday at 9:00. We see the
same method as in all other events - the resident was surprised and held up by
three armed men as they were leaving home. The neighbor called it in and Mamba
responded. There was a shoot out and a chase but the criminals managed to get
away with some cell phones, cash and jewellery. Until SAPS, SSG and Mamba can
make an arrest we must all be on high alert and immediately call in
anything suspicions. The criminals were driving a white Corsa bakkie. Reg # VFS
895 GP.
--
Remember to always maintain a high level of awareness, especially when you
are leaving or entering your home/driveway. Please tell your family and
domestic workers to also be on the lookout. Report all suspicious behaviour to
SSG and Mamba (numbers below).
Regards,
Derek
12 March 2012
The
person who normally does our camera/photo downloads has taken ill and the person
who backs him up has moved on to another job. We currently don’t have anyone on
hand, if needed, to do this. Are there any residents who are PC competent who
could take this on for us? We would pay for the person’s time. Perhaps there
are some youngsters (18+) who would be prepared to do this? We need to fill
this gap urgently, if there is an incident it is vital that we can download any
required photo’s as soon as possible.
I
have had a report of a dog poisoning incident. Please be aware of this and
check your pets are safe. If this does happen to you it could mean that you have
been targeted for a break in. Please inform us and your security provider?
Since
we put out the note about SAPS doing background checks on the employees of
contractors I have had a few requests from individual residents wanting to know
if there is a service to check individual maids or garden staff. I have had a
quick look and have listed some of the options below. Please note that I have
put this together fairly quickly and you should contact the provider to verify
the service and fees.
Charges
vary between R130 – R200.
SSG –
this includes a physical fingerprint check as well as an Electronic check. The
Electronic check is a background check with various details like Credit Check,
addresses and places of work. Contact - 011 518 3700
Mamba
– this includes a background check has been based on Name and ID Number. They
are looking into the fingerprint service that cross checks with SAPS databse.
Contact - Tel: (011) 609 – 0237
Hospitality
Recruitment – They can do the checks outside the office but then charge an
additional R150 call out fee. Contact Ashleigh on Tel: (011) 452 6688
In
all cases the candidate must bring along their ID book and be prepared to sign a
form to give permission to do the check. --
Remember to always maintain a high level of awareness, especially when you
are leaving or entering your home/driveway. Please tell your family and
domestic workers to also be on the lookout. Report all suspicious behaviour to
SSG and Mamba (numbers below).
Regards,
Derek
2 March 2012
Mamba are offering a First Aid Course on Saturday 31st March, from 09h00-13h00.
Please see advert below:
27 February 2012
There was a hijacking and armed robbery this morning (27/2 +-
07:30) in Sandpiper St. It looks like the criminals followed their standard
mode of operation and surprised the resident’s daughter when she activated the
gate remote as she was leaving the house. No one was hurt and the criminals got
away with a car (Blue Hyundai Elantra BS 08 WJ GP), laptops, cell phones, TV,
cash and jewellery.
Please be on the lookout for 4 males in a White Kadet
registration number unknownThese guys may come back soon and try their luck again so
please can everyone be especially alert. Check your road at all times when you
leave or arrive home. Residents who live in quiet streets need to be especially
aware as it does appear that the criminals target streets that are not so
busy.
Remember to always maintain a high level of awareness, especially when you
are leaving or entering your home/driveway. Please tell your family and
domestic workers to also be on the lookout. Report all suspicious behaviour to
SSG and Mamba (numbers below).
Regards,
Derek
16 January 2012
13 December 2011
Fake municipal workers -
Please be aware that the north closure has reported 2
individuals trying to gain entry to a house by pretending to be municipal
workers wanting to read the meter. Please inform you household and staff to be
on the lookout for this. This is not normal practice and the people involved
should carry identification.
Check your security –
As we move into the festive season please remember to check
your security at home and continue to be alert as crime never takes a holiday
and we do tend to become a bit more relaxed at this time of the year. Please
inform your guests or house sitters that they do need to check the road and
surroundings before leaving or entering the household.
The committee would like to thank you all for your support
and to wish you all the best for the holidays and 2012
1 December 2011
Please read the note from the North closure and warn your family and domestics. If your alarm has not gone off do not give out the keypad number or password to anyone.
Hi Belinda
Just a quick note, I live at 29 Erasmus Road, and my neighbour at 31 Erasmus has just phoned me, here is her story.
Carmel went out this morning and while she was out her maid got a call from a guy calling himself Vusi from SSG, saying that her alarm had just been activated, Gloria told him he was speaking nonsense and the alarm had not gone off, he then told her there must be a problem on the key pad and she must give him the key pad number, Gloria again refused and told him she could not do that, then he said he needed to know the password so he could verify that it was her and she told him that she didnt know it. When my neighbour came home, Gloria told her this, now SSG only has cell phone numbers and not land line numbers and there for cannot phone on a land line, secondly Carmel then phoned SSG and asked for Vusi in the control room, he does not exist, it seems that there is a scam going around and these people can see which alarm company you belong to by your wall (our Mamba sign fell off so we don't advertise for them any more) and somehow they get the number and by asking the domestic all these questions they can get all the important info regarding the alarm. I believe SSG is putting on extra patrols on today because of this now that they are aware of the scam. We think that he has been watching her house for a while, got the name from a letter in the post, would have looked up the name in the phone book and then tried to catch an unsuspecting domestic worker, just as well Gloria was too cleaver for them. Please we all need to look after each other in the area.
I am so glad that nothing happened at Carmel's house but we must all be on guard especially at this time of the year.
Below is a note from Heather Hart on the council contact numbers. To provide feedback please contact her directly on
*****
Hi Derek,
Will send a full report in due course, but for those who did not attend the 'Imbizo' last night, should residents have difficulty getting through to Municipality numbers, they have been invited to phone:
011 999 3352 or 011 999 3354 - this is a new complaints line set up by our esteemed MMC to assist residents who battle to get through to relevant departments. I would LOVE feed back from residents to try/use these numbers please.
Regards - Heather
*****
Good day all
Please have a look at the mail below we
received from a Resident in Edenglen North via the Committee.
Can we ask that you please send a mail to all
your residents and inform them about this. SSG’s name was used in specific here
but it could have been any other Security Company. They will obviously target
houses as per Company whose signboard is outside on the walls.
This seems like a new approach of penetrating
the Houses again. Please inform them that no Technician will arrive outside
their premises in an unmarked vehicle and also that they can phone the
Technical Department at any time to find out if it is our vehicle standing
there or not. All our Technical staff also has an ID Card as well.
Thanking you in advance
Should
you require any additional information please do not hesitate to contact the
undersigned.
Assuring you of our best attention at all times.
Regards,
Zybrand Kruger
General Manager
SSG
27th November 2011
On Friday there was an armed robbery in Granville Road around about 08h00am, Apparently this was an opportunistic crime and the criminals were driving around looking to take advantage, There were four armed men in a silver Atos. The police said they have the same modus op and weapons as used in a robbery in one of the complexes - which one specifically I do not know. The criminals exited from Erasmus Road just before 08h30am If this event follows any previous pattern then we need to raise our level of awareness as they may come back and strike again. Please remember to always check your surroundings before you leave/arrive home and pass this warning on to your family, domestics and visitors.
Notes from the
CPF;
· Comments were made about an
increase of young people driving under the influence of
alcohol.
o SAPS will be extremely
harsh this festive season on driving under the
influence.
o They will arrest and open a
docket for anyone caught.
o If a youth is arrested the
CPF are in the process of creating a document of the exact process that will be
followed which the families can familiarise themselves
with.
· The SAPS are just doing
their jobs so please do not get aggressive with them.
o It has been noted that the
public are rude and harsh on the police officers at the police
stations.
o Treat them with respect and
they will treat you with respect.
o If SAPS perform well report
this as well.
o House robberies are
prevalent on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
o Smash and grab at
Linksfield and Modderfontein especially when robots are
out.
· There was a committee that
was managing the car guards in the CBD but this has since been disbanded buy the
tourism board (I stand to be corrected) because it felt that the car guards were
being exploited as they had to pay R 10 per day.
o There has since been a
definite increase in vehicle thefts since.
o Efforts are being made to
reinstate this committee.
· 16 days of activism against
abuse starts today and a walk has been organised for the 3rd of
December at 09h00.
o The walk starts at Haward
Farm and will end at Karaglen shopping centre to create
awareness.
· SAPS
Tips
o Don’t fall asleep
immediately after turning lights off make sure there is no activity
outside.
o If you are unsure about
entering you home due to something that looks out of the ordinary rather call
SAPS or you security company.
o Be observant when coming
home if there is someone suspicious following you don’t pull into your
driveway.
o If you are at an
intersection in your car and you someone provokes you drive away or hoot to
attract attention.
o Keep copies of your
domestic workers or builders ID documents so if something does happen this will
assist the SAPS.
o Have your phones accessible
in case of emergencies
o 10111 number is for
emergencies and all calls are recorded and caller ID is also
used.
o 0860 600 10111 is used more
for reporting anonymous tip offs, calls are not recorded nor is caller ID used.
You can still use this number in emergencies.
o Report broken street lights
to council as if the roads are dark criminals can hide and also evade arrest as
SAPS will not be able to see them. (08600 54300 - I
think)
15th November 2011
Hi
Please read below and let me know by Monday 21st November if
you are prepared to get involved and organise this campaign?
We would like to launch a campaign to increase our capability to proactively prevent crime in our
suburb. The committee believes that preventing crime is not only about putting
up a boom at our suburb’s entrance and having a patrol vehicle cruise around our
suburb. The residents of our suburb need to join in and actively and
continually fight against crime and we all need to take responsibility and play
our part to make our suburb as safe as possible.
One of the key mechanisms to do this is through an Eyes and
Ears campaign in which the residents can get involved. We can increase the
visibility of crime prevention activities, we can increase awareness and report
any suspicious criminal activities. Criminals do not like it when residents are
alert and prepared to report anything suspicious. They would rather move onto an
area where the residents are complacent and don’t take pro-active steps.
A key principle in this approach is that the residents are to
observe and report. At NO STAGE are residents to get involved in trying to
prevent a criminal activity. Once reported this must be left to our security
companies to manage.
The campaign has three distinct activities –
Walking Observers
Vehicle Patrols
Boom Observers
Apart from residents volunteering for these activities we
will also need volunteers to initiate and manage some aspects of these
activities.
Walking Observers – We have many residents who walk at all
sorts of times during the day. This could become a very effective mechanism to
keep an eye on what is going on. We would like to increase visibility by asking
these people to wear a distinct yellow vest that has a logo on it such as
“Edenglen Road Closure”. A briefing session with SSG/Mamba will be held with
the volunteers to inform them of what to look out for and how to report any
suspected criminals. We don’t want this to be done on a roster basis because
organising a timetable is difficult and we would like residents to walk at their
normal times and not to inconvenience them. We may from time to time let you
know of problem areas and times and if you could fit this into your walk then
that would be great.
Vehicle Patrols – This would be similar to the walking
patrols and not controlled through a roster system. The vehicles could have
magnetic stickers that also say “Edenglen Road Closure”. Patrols would be done
at your convenience so if you were a retired person, for example, you could pop
out at lunch time for a 15 minute drive around your area to see what’s going
on. Briefings by our security companies also need to be held.
The walking and vehicle patrols may seem a bit random but if
we try and organise this on a formal basis we feel it will become too
bureaucratic, a burden and people will lose interest. The purpose is to be
random, show criminals we are alert and to confuse them. These patrols will
also create visibility amongst non paying residents and hopefully get them to
start thinking about joining up.
Boom Observers – This is one area where we will need some
volunteers to organise a roster as we don’t want 20 people appearing at the same
boom at the same time. The volunteers would wear the same yellow security vests
as the walking observers but would remain at the boom and report in any
suspicious vehicles entering our suburb. They could also stand at our entrances
to Erasmus road where we join the North Closure.
Times of participation are voluntary and at your
convenience. We don’t feel we have to have people walking, driving or observing
at 3 in the morning! It does not matter that a boom is not covered every single
minute of every day. If you are happy to stand at a boom for 30 minutes on a
Tuesday morning at 10 am then we will gladly take your time and your offer to
help. If you can’t sleep and want to drive around at 2 am for a few minutes
then feel free to do so.
So we are looking for the following –
a) 3 volunteers to drive and organise the Eyes and Ears
campaign. This would mean sorting out the vests, logos, magnetic stickers, rules
of the game, operating procedures, security briefings and whatever else is
required.
b) 2 volunteers to manage the rosters for the boom observers.
c) Then as many walking, vehicle and boom volunteers as
possible!
For the first phase – please can you let me know
if you are prepared to be one of the 3 volunteers required for step a)?
Please do not yet let me know yet if you want to
organise the boom roster or do the walking, vehicle and boom activities (steps b
and c). We will ask our organisers to get in touch with you once they are
ready.
9th November 2011
Crime Report -
We have gone 4 months without any serious crimes and the
committee would like to thank our residents for the part they have played in
helping to make our community to safer. We feel that your level of awareness
and keeping an eye out for each other is a significant contributing factor. The
biggest danger now is that we may become complacent and that criminals take
advantage of this. Criminals will always be watching and waiting for us to let
our guard down. They will NEVER go away. Our level of awareness must be
maintained at 100% and we need to always check our surroundings before we open
our gates/doors when arriving or leaving our homes. Please remind all the
members of your household to always be on the lookout and to report any
suspicious activities or vehicles to the Mamba and SSG emergency numbers (see
bottom of email for those numbers).
Crime Method -
I have had a report of a burglary in Highway Gardens where a
family were sleeping, burglars gassed them and then robbed them of all their
belongings as well as cars. I have heard about this before and I am not sure
about this method but it is always best to be cautious.
CPF meeting last month -
· Census will not be extending the evaluation term, they
will however still be in the area for the next week or two to collect the
outstanding completed forms.
· There have been no incidents reported relating to the
census.
· SAPS
have found that there have been some vehicle theft in the avenues around SARS
and Home Affairs as the parking is limited close to the buildings, so please be
cautious.
· Be
vigilant when withdrawing large amounts of cash from banks or ATM’s as criminals
follow these people home and then rob them.
· SAPS
will concentrate heavily on driving under the influence of alcohol this festive
season.
· Another reminder was said about having strange
builders in your property, ensure that you get references for all
workers.
· Mamba offered to have their special Opps patrol your
property whilst you have builders on premises to send a
message.
Eyes and Ears Campaign –
We will be calling on residents to volunteer to drive and run
this campaign for us. The response from the survey indicated that many of you
were prepared to get involved. I hope this is still the case! As soon as I
agree a framework with the committee that outlines the purpose and the approach
we will then distribute this to residents and call on volunteers.
24th October 2011
11th October 2011
This note concerns incidents outside (but close to) our closure. Two Fortuners
have been stolen from the parking area of the Deck Pub/Restaurant. The most
recent incident was on 5/10 in the evening. Please can owners of these vehicles
and Hiluxs be aware that Toyota has brought out an anti theft upgrade to make
them harder to steal. Contact your local Toyota agent for info.
10th October 2011
I would like to bring your attention to an incident that has
a positive result. Yesterday (Sunday) two males
entered the closure on foot through the Steyn Street gate. The
gate guard was suspicious of their behaviour and radioed the SSG control room
and he followed the two men to see where they were going. The SSG
patrol vehicle then stopped the men on du Plessis Street and questioned
them. The men could not give satisfactory answers so they were
held, SAP was called and arrived 7 minutes later and took the men into
custody. It appears the two men were casing a home with the
intention to break in while the owners were away. The owner has
been informed about this event.
The reaction by all involved is to be commended and the
lesson for us is that we must continually be on our guard. Criminals will always be trying to get through our defences. We have had a very quiet period over the last 2 months and we can’t start
becoming complacent. We must all remain observant and report
suspicious activity/persons.
Regards,
Derek
4th October 2011
Hi everyone,
I have been away for the past month and will soon be responding to any
emails you sent and will resume the regular updates on the closure. In the
meantime please be aware of the following -
SSG has alerted us about 4 armed men in a new white Toyota Corolla posing
as policemen or wearing overalls who have been responsible for robberies in
Edenvale and Bedfordview in the last 24 hours. Please be on the
lookout.
Regards,
Derek
With regard to the risk of employing people on the side of the road.
Khanyisa Trust is a non profit organisation part of which runs a small
employment agency. Our aim here is to assist both employee and employer by
checking ID documentation, references, certificates etc. On registering with
us the employee must complete an application form giving full details of
present address, contact phone numbers etc. Our current register includes
domestic workers, aux. nurses, office workers, gardeners, labourers, drivers
and semi skilled painters, tilers, plumbers, etc. We have been most
successful with placements in the Dowerglen/Dunvegan security village and
would like to extend our services into Edenglen.
Kind
regards
Shirley Kelly
*****
NOTE: The AGM will be held on the 22nd September at the Edenglen Primary School at 7pm.
Please
read the following documents pertaining to the AGM.
7th Annual General
Meeting - 21st September 2010
AGENDA for the 8th
AGM 0 22nd September 2011
Budget 2012 YTD
ERCCA Income
Statement
In the CPF email we mentioned some companies
that provide casual labour with references. This was to manage the risk of
picking up casual labour on the street corner.
The contact info of the companies
is: Khanyisa - 011 452 6176, located next to the
Methodist Church in Edenvale. Mem Standing on Roads (msr.org.za).
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Please
take note of the SSG Domestic Forum times below:
These are important sessions as
they teach our staff how to observe and report suspicious activity/crime.
The
events will be held in the park at the bottom of Edendale Rd.
Tuesday 20th September
Don't forget the Domestic Forum Meeting on Tuesday 20th September 2011 at 20 Wagenaar Rd, Edenglen at 11h00. lnsp Olkers will speak on Strangers and Danger.
Edenglen South - Domestic Workers Forum
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Date |
Time |
Agenda |
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20 September 2011 |
11h00 -12h00 |
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| lnsp Olkers speech on stranger and danger. | |
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25 October 2011 |
11h00 -12h00 |
Mr Riaan Winkler from
SSG to speak on personal safety [confronting danger] |
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07 November 2011 |
11h00 -12h00 |
Year end function. |
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Safety Tips:
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VIGILANCE is the name of the game. If you do not have cameras installed outside your walls then look outside before opening the driveway gate, especially if your gate and walls are solid. Crime is on the increase. If we all look out for ourselves AND our neighbours, we can reduce this terrible trend.
Look into your rear view mirror and pay particular attention to being followed. Drive to the Police station if you are out of the area. Phone Mamba and alert guards as you stop at the booms.
Do not approach home whilst on your cellphone. Be aware of cars following you.
Please call Mamba or SSG if you suspect anybody. Take note of watchers on pavements, parked cars and people out of place.
Get to know your neighbours. We live in an enclave, together we can make Edenglen a safe peaceful area
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Crime is mainly perpetrated by persons entering our area: gardeners, contractors, domestics. About 80% of crime is perpetrated by persons who have had access to your property. The balance is caused by bad elements living within our area.
Neglecting your security results in vulnerability and increased crime. Please close your gates and garage doors. Take note of what will make your home attractive to a criminal. Lock away firearms, cash, laptops, jewellery.
Microdot your valuables. See the Community Police Forum website for more information. There was also an article in the Edenvale News recently about this new technology.
Vigilance decreases crime. Look before leaving your homes. Take note of “watchers” sitting on pavements, and call Mamba. The average age of criminals is 20 to 25 years. There is no definite trend for “crime times”. Increase your security and maintain constant awareness. Now that the world cup is over, criminals are on the move again.
Screen your domestics. New employees are often scouts out to observe your movements. Everyone has a cell phone, which is often used to photograph valuables, cameras and alarm sensors. Mamba offers a screening service for a charge. Nobody wants to unknowingly employ a criminal.
Domestic workers are a valuable source of information. Take note of what they see and encourage your staff to report anything suspicious to Mamba or SSG. Be aware that staff and contractors may inadvertently give out information whist conversing amongst themselves.
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Do not leave out boxes for new TV’s and computers. This is advertising!
The committee has made the decision to use as much technology as possible to assist SAPS in apprehending criminals. All residents are encouraged to follow suit. Criminals are also using technology. Get your own back and photograph suspicious persons and vehicles. Any resident requiring video footage from the gates are please requested to provide their own memory sticks.
Communication Closes Down Crime. Know your neighbours. Get relevant contact details and look out for each other. By hiding out behind our walls and keeping to ourselves we actually assist criminals.
Make sure your house number is visible
. This is vital for Mamba, SAPS and ambulance and other services to respond quickly.
Roadblocks will be conducted by SAPS and Mamba on a regular basis. Those residents who do not display a membership sticker will unfortunately be inconvenienced.
Join your closure and volunteer to serve on the committee. The more help offered, the stronger we will be.
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Holiday Tips:
- Test your alarms on a regular basis.
- Make your home look occupied.
- Install time lights.
- Ask a neighbour to put out the bin.
- Ask a neighbour to empty the letter box
- Ask a neighbour to open and close curtains.
- Advise Mamba of your keyholder's details when going away.
- Stop Newspaper deliveries whilst you are away, |
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