Crime reported in July 2019
Home burglaries
Van Laun Crescent
Schnehage Crescent
Jan Enslin Street
Rautenbach Street
Attempt to break home
Piet Kruger Straat
Theft from motor vehicles
Mettam Street
Awareness and crime prevention: our modus operandi
The Fichardt Park Neighbourhood Association requests that FNA members be careful and vigilant when arriving or leaving your home, daytime as well as evening. When leaving the home, make sure that the necessary precautions have been taken by putting the necessary safety measures in place.
Which homes are targeted?
- Dwellings with poor lighting
- Homes without alarm systems
- Homes where mail pieces are not regularly removed
Access to the yard and the home
- Motor gates are derived from their tracks
- Burglaries through back doors, front doors, security gates and windows
What items are targeted during house burglaries and thefts?
- Televisions
- Laptops
- Cellphone
- Jewels
- Food
Malcolm Mostert
Thinking of building?
When deciding whether to build or make changes to your home, it is important to know which regulations apply and how to obtain municipal approval. Here are some examples of building or structural changes that do not require planning approval.
- Braai areas without a chimney
- Tool houses smaller than 10 m2
- Children’s playhouses, smaller than 5 m2
Greenhouses smaller than 15 m2 - Pergolas
- Car gates that are not partially on the sidewalk
- Replacement of windows or doors (where existing frames are not load bearing, openings are not enlarged, or openings required as fire exits are not removed)
- Internal walls that are not load bearing
- Replacement of roof tiles or roof tiles
- Installing a new toilet, bath or geyser (or relocating their positions)
You may be of the opinion that if the change is small or within your home, it is not necessary to submit building plans. However, this is not always the case.
Building plans are required for the following:
- Removing, relocating or installing internal walls that alter the structural reliability of your home
- Raising or lowering walls
- Moving or changing the sizes of windows and doors
- Change of use of a room (for example, a garage is turned into a habitable space)
- Converting a carport into a garage
- Closing an existing patio
- The addition of a middle floor
Chanté van Biljon
Patrol drivers needed
Security is one of the FNA’s top priorities. We therefore ask that our members work with our patrol service. We need at least nine drivers per patrol. If you are interested in volunteering your time to improve the safety of your neighborhood, please contact us on 076 277 3022
Illegal dumping remains a problem
The illegal dumping of garbage happens in different ways. Some examples include (i) the dumping of household garbage or garden waste on nearby traffic islands or in parks, and (ii) the dumping of building debris in public spaces.
The illegal dumping of waste is a major problem in Fichardt Park and it has the following effect: Wastewater rainwater: illegal spills may interfere with the natural runoff of water during rain or storms and may cause flash floods.
How does illegal dumping affect you?
This is unsightly and it makes our neighborhood look dirty. It also attracts unnecessary pocket diggers to our neighborhood. It costs the FWA thousands of rands annually. As of Feb 2019 – 144 loads have been removed to date.
What can you do?
- Please report any illegal dumping to our 24-hour emergency number: 076 277 3022
- If you see someone dumping trash illegally, get descriptive information from the offender, take photos of the violation, including the number plate of the offender’s vehicle.
- If you are building on your property and have building rubble on your sidewalk, please remove it within 7 days.
- When you put out weekly rubbish, remember that it may only be household waste, not garden waste.
- Do not place waste on traffic islands (this is common in Castelyn Drive, Benader Drive, Olive Grinter Drive and Eric Rosendorf Drive).
Chanté van Biljon and Jacques Meiring
