Crime spreads through George's greenbelt areas

Concerns about crime in the dense vegetation and greenbelt areas in George are escalating.

- Marguerite van Ginkel

Clean-up operations by local neighbourhood watches and community members in the Victoria Bay area.

(Photo: Gerhan Archer)

Residents and neighbourhood watches are warning that these sites are increasingly being used to conceal stolen goods and as hideouts for criminal activity.

A key challenge is the multiple ownership of the land, much of which is state-owned and does not fall under municipal jurisdiction. This complicates cleanup operations and law enforcement.

Police action is limited, because arrests must be linked to registered cases, and anti-land invasion units cannot monitor all areas continuously. Civil organisations and neighbourhood watches have attempted to patrol and clear problem areas through joint operations, but residents warn that the situation is worsening. Rising theft, particularly copper and cable theft, has caused power outages in areas along greenbelts such as Victoria Bay, Denneoord, Dormehls Drift and Wilderness Heights.