OH WATCH

Dear Good Resident of Oranjezicht and Higgovale

May the new year be a safe one for you and every member of our community.

Last year was good, but lets make this year even better. There are so many exciting things going on in our area, like our Oranjezicht City Farm project (see below), and our new License Plate Recognition (LPR) camera system. Both are already bearing fruit. Our neighbourhood is looking good, and, we are told, there are definite signs of an upswing in housing sales. We are on the up and up.

In terms of crime, December 2012 was comparatively peaceful, as it usually is. Seems like the criminals also like to take a break. That doesn’t mean that it was crime free. Far from it with house break-ins reported in Jagersfontein Ave (20 Dec), Kloof St (21 Dec), Molteno (22 Dec), Higgo Crescent (21 and 25 Dec), Sir George Grey (28 Dec), Invermark Cres (29 Dec), Breda Street (30 Dec), Upper Orange (8 Jan) and again Breda Street (30 December) amongst others.

Our crime patterns remain unchanged. Garages are still being targeted, particularly when it come to expensive bicycles, and opportunistic criminals are always on the look out for an open window or door, even at night.

Houses bordering vacant plots, or backing onto the mountainside continue to be more likely to be targeted, so if your house fits that category, take particular care.

LPR proving its worth and more

In the past month the LPR system with all the cameras installed and working, sent out numerous alerts for vehicles that are either wanted by SAPS or have been identified as suspicious by neighbourhood watches and armed response companies throughout Cape Town. One such vehicle was identified as a red Citi Golf by a Higgovale resident after hearing glass being broken outside her home, belonging to a neighbours vehicle. With the time and date of the incident, the LPR system controller could locate the vehicle concerned and load the registration number it into the system, so that when the vehicle re-enters our neighbourhood, we will know.

Similarly, a woman was followed and attacked in Breda Street on 28 December after she had been shopping in Gardens Centre. The camera picked up the entire incident and footage of the suspect was provided to SAPS. In another incident a resident in Higgo Crescent reported theft of hubcaps off a Toyota Quantum. The entire incident was captured on camera and footage handed over to SAPS.

Other recent successes include the arrest of the driver of a black Polo who was caught just before stealing fuel in Vredehoek, a suspected drug dealer in a white Polo was arrested with cocaine.
A white Volvo from Woodstock was identified as likely vehicle involved in the Higgo Crescent housebreak-in and passed onto SAPS, a suspect was caught on the Crassula camera running away from a house break-in on Gardenia street.

In another incident, a resident reported seeing an open bakkie leave the scene of a theft of wheels and other vehicle components in Belvedere Road. The resident reported this to OH Watch and we were able to identify the vehicle on camera as a Red Toyota Hilux, Registration DND330EC, with 3-5 coloured males sitting in the back. They were spotted in Oranjezicht and previously in Devilspeak and are active late at night. In another, a Toyota Conquest CY 196 783 stolen from Prince Street on the 18th December between 19:30 & 22:30 was traced on the cameras and the footage handed to SAPS.

Please be on the look out and report all suspicious activity to us on info@ohwatch.co.za.

If you are keen to follow the incidents more closely, then please ask to join the OH Watch Facebook site http://www.facebook.com/groups/111868592175718/ and also use this vehicle to report any suspicious vehicles to OH Watch.

Faulty streetlights reported to the City

Please report faulty streetlights as soon as you see them not working. You can do this via email to FaultReporting.Centre@capetown.gov.za and the City will provide you with a reference no. Please copy OH Watch on info@ohwatch.co.za

The following streetlights were reported during the last period:

Breda Street
Upper Orange and Belvedere

Area around Lower Reservoir and Lower Hof Street

This continues to be a problem. OH Watch has been approached by residents complaining of vagrancy and cooking on open fires. A site visit with the City of Cape Town was conducted last year and we are hopeful that a solution will be implemented.

Requests from Residents

Looking for a room to rent in Oranjezicht for a trustworthy nanny.

Oranjezicht City Farm (OZCF) selling organic grapes this Saturday

If you haven’t seen what is going on on the former bowling green on the corner Upper Orange and Sidmouth, you are missing out.

The transformation from a disused bowling green to a vibrant, beautiful, and nourishing Farm is well under way. The dream of a community vegetable garden in Oranjezicht has been shared by numerous residents and others in Cape Town for many years. In recent years, under the stewardship of OH Watch, a small group of residents has worked to get a viable and sustainable project defined, build community support, attract initial funding, and clear the various regulatory and legal hurdles.

Although the Farms own harvest is not yet ready, OZCF wants to start testing the sale of organic fruit and veg from the Farm. Eddie Redelinghuys, who is an experienced organic grape farmer from Paarl, and who also owns Reliance Organic Compost, will bring boxes of organic green and black grapes to OZCF on Saturday morning for sale from 08h00 – 13h00 – simply stop by and have a taste and see what is going on. All proceeds to support OZCF. And, there’s more. If you are prepared to get your hands dirty at OZCF this Saturday, by helping out a bit, Reliance Compost will donate a bag of organic compost, for you to take home.

Thanks to all the active patrollers and to SAPS

OH Watch thanks those members of OH Watch, TBK Watch and DPV Watch who have been active throughout the holiday period patrolling the area to ensure the community’s safety. We could not do what we do without your support. We also thank SAPS, especially our Sector Managers, Capt Joggie Jansen and Constable Gerida Knight, and their support staff, especially Constable Bussey.

OH Watch 2013 Subs

It is that time of the year again. We rely on the goodwill of residents to fund our efforts. Our subscription fee of R200 per annum is moderate, compared to other neighbourhood watches. If everybody does their bit, and pays their way, it will help us significantly in achieving our goals for the year. If you live in an apartment block in our area, with more than 5 flats, the annual membership fee for the entire block is R1 000.

Our banking details are:

Bank: First National Bank
Branch: Gardens
Branch code: 201511
Account number: 62212483680
Name of account: OH Watch
Ref: Surname and Subs

And finally

As always, we welcome constructive criticism. Contact us with any suggestions you might have for the new year.

Check the OH Watch website (www.ohwatch.co.za) to keep your mind at rest and others at bay and please sign up for our Facebook Page if you want to get more regular updates. http://www.facebook.com/groups/111868592175718

Please be vigilant.

Yours in Safety