Koeberg Road and surrounding areas need 'investments' to cure social ills

Lester Kiewit speaks to Justin Kumlehn, a long-term resident in the Koeberg area and a member of the Western Cape Provincial Community Policing Forum (CPF), about the challenges in the area. 

Koeberg Road is known to be a traffic "corridor" that connects a multitude of demographics, making it "a nightmare" to get in and out of the area during peak traffic.

But it's also become a corridor for social ills and nefarious industries like sex work, drug trade, gangsterism, and organised crime growing in the area, says Kumlehn. 

Kumlehn reports that these activities have been on the rise since the COVID-19 pandemic where many people lost their jobs - the lack of employment might have led to poverty and people trying to find income in the activities mentioned above, argues Kumlehn. 

Kumlehn notes that long-term residents have complained about the rise of sex work in the area.

"Prostitution has drastically increased and the increase has been dramatic since the onset of COVID. They stand all the way from Koeberg Interchange to Boundary Road in Rugby."

Justin Kumlehn, CPF

Kumlehn says the problem is not with sex work but using drugs and drinking openly with peddlers in areas where there are schools and kids passing by. 

"If it's done in a structured, well-organised legal manner where there are regulations, then yes, I understand, everyone needs to make a living, but that living also mustn't infringe on the rights of the community." 

Justin Kumlehn, CPF

Another issue in the area is drug-related activity and gangsterism.

"There were two major drug busts by SAPS recently which came from community tip-offs. Community engagement is not the easiest, people don't want to come forward and give information."

Justin Kumlehn, CPF

Kumlehn adds that other challenges include a lack of investment in the area and getting the community to trust the CPF to help solve the ills in the area.

"Koeberg Road and surrounding areas could do with a huge investment to improve the area. As a CPF, we try and do as much interaction and education with the community as possible and we try to get them to speak to the police but trusting the force is a major hurdle to overcome."

Justin Kumlehn, CPF