The City of Cape Town could evict residents of a house in Bonteheuwel following arrests by police and complaints from the community about illegal activities taking place there.
The three-bedroom house in Vlamboom Road is a notorious drug den, according to a resident who asked not to be named. She said many young people frequent the house and that the residents fear for their safety due to the alleged criminal activity there.
Police raided the house on Saturday January 6 and arrested a 21-year-old man from Factreton for being in possession of 23 ecstasy tablets. Bishop Lavis police station commander Brigadier Christopher Jones said the house was an ongoing problem in the area and was regularly raided by police, often after tip-offs.
He said police were urging the community to tell them where the larger amounts of drugs were being held as drug lords were open about it.
“We ask the community to stand together. The people who pelted the police are often those who benefit from the drug lords and live in the area. We also ask the community to refrain from buying drugs in order to lessen their profit and cripple their operation,” he said.
Bishop Lavis community police forum chairperson Graham Lindhorst said bystanders pelted the police with stones as they did not want the man to be arrested.
He said that while the house was known for gang activity, certain people still covered up for the tenants.
“That house has had a negative impact on the community. “There are people that want them to be evicted and others who don’t. Vlamboom Road has been a problem as a murder has even taken place in that road as well as shootings and drug dealing,” he said.
Bonteheuwel ward councillor Angus Mckenzie said for the past eight months residents had urged the City of Cape Town to evict the tenants but said that it was not that easy as it was a legal matter.
“We’ve provided them with everything they needed in terms of reports of the activity going on at that house, including drug dealing, gang activity, and shooting. We need to identify if there are any hiccups or anything slowing down the process. These people have been using rental stock to deal with drugs, it is a huge problem for the community as they live in fear,” he said.
