NKRA Communique – October 2024

Hi everyone

We held our October NKRA public meeting via the internet on Wednesday 16 October 2024. The key issues arising from that meeting are included in this newsletter. Our next NKRA public meeting will be held at 18h30 on Wednesday 20 November 2024. All residents and owners of Killarney and Riviera are welcome to participate. An agenda with a Microsoft Teams meeting link will be circulated in due course.

Summer is now well underway. As always around this time of year, our many mature jacaranda trees are in full bloom, and are transforming many of our streets (and our park) into a mass of purple flowers. These don’t last long, so enjoy them while you can.

As the summer nights get warmer, we continue to see an increase in illegal drinking on the pavements – especially in the area around the illegal taxi rank in 1^st Street. Whenever we notice such behaviour, we need to call the JMPD, and forward the reference number to the ward councillor. JMPD don’t always respond, but this is the official legal channel. Try to contact them on 080 872 3342 or on 011 758 9620. The SAPS do sometimes respond to our calls as well, although this is really a JMPD responsibility. Vision Tactical Security are also willing to help “persuade” such people to cease or to move away, but they have no actual authority on the street.

The street parties at the Urban Hardware carpark are also getting worse. Participants are now arriving in cars, so possibly they are coming from a distance. The Urban Hardware carpark is part of the Mall’s property, so the Mall’s security provider does have authority here. They are effective, but they are not proactive, so they need to be called and informed of a problem. We have suggested to the Mall to improve the lighting at this area, and to put up a camera to watch over the space so that their security service can notice the problem more quickly.

The Community Street Patrollers have no authority on the street, but they are proving to be quite effective in discouraging drinkers, many of whom are Killarney residents. Talking to the drinkers, and opening channels, may bring about a more sustainable solution over time. Trained security people accompany the patrols, to add skill and to call in an armed response service in the unlikely event that things might get dangerous. To join them, you can contact them at this link:  https://chat.whatsapp.com/DsR92XsjIU49JLvv1pAHCI

Muggings seem to be on the rise again, particularly targeting cell-phones. Personal vigilance is still the best defence. Some pavement areas are very dark, and non-functioning streetlights are a part of the problem. Non-functioning lights have been mapped and reported. Buildings in the vicinity of these dark areas might also consider putting up appropriate LED floodlights, perhaps solar-powered where possible. The 4^th Avenue bridge is particularly dark, but we will need to find a suitable place to mount a solar light to cover this area. We are not allowed to put up our solar lights on municipal lamp poles.

Vision Tactical Security have patrol cars in Killarney, and they are willing to react to all reports of criminal activity. If you notice any suspicious behaviour, you can contact the Vision Tactical control room on 084 222 2222, or on 010 972 2600, or on 061 071 2001. Their two response vehicles are on 072 830 5305 from 8am to 10pm, and on 071 570 5173 from 10am to 10pm.

A few weeks ago, a car which was stolen elsewhere in Johannesburg was followed into our area by a team of law enforcement officers and private security officers. The suspects were confronted in Riviera, and arrested. This is a small step in the right direction, but every little bit of success helps. Many thanks to all the officers concerned, who risk their own lives to make us all a little bit safer.

The Trolley Recyclers provide us with a valuable service, but the recyclers sometimes sleep on the streets in Killarney overnight to avoid the commute, and to be first on the scene to collect the best material. The Oxford Park in Oxford Road near the M1 on-ramp is now being used regularly as a recycling sorting-site, and some of the recyclers are dumping unwanted material in the park. Some people seem to be living here, judging from the fires that they start. If you notice that by-laws being broken, please report it to City Parks (011 712 6600) and to JMPD, and include photographs if possible.   

The NKRA October meeting authorised the expenditure of R11,500 to repaint all of our street names on the kerbs at the intersections (excluding the cost of the paint.) This project has now commenced. Meanwhile 23 kerbs have already been nominated to have mosaic signs instead of paint. This costs R1,200 per sign. If you are willing to sponsor a mosaic sign on your kerb instead of us repainting the street name, please let us know.

We continue to derive huge benefits from our “Themba Cleanup Projects”. Themba and his bakkie costs R400 per day, and he charges extra on jobs where he needs to hire extra capacity to help him. Residents who support these projects have been making donations into a separate WLKR bank account. This account will now be wound down, the remaining funds will be transferred into the NKRA account, and people are asked to make any future donations to the NKRA account please. If you are interested in helping with these projects, you can join the Upliftment Project at: https://chat.whatsapp.com/KA4ejvnpF6pGjFg9SJ3KEn.

The NKRA Community Gardens project, which is growing food for the community in the 4^th Street Park, is doing really well. With the substantial rain we have received recently, the first crop is ready for harvesting. These vegetables are available to be harvested by anybody who has need of them. Riviera Villas and Mentone Court have also planted veggies on their pavements. If you are interested in participating in this very worthwhile project, please join us at: https://chat.whatsapp.com/Cjh3eJl57pv1XcoQ7OEBj9

The project to install an artwork gate in the 4^th Street Park, is on-going. We still need to get formal authorisation from the JCPZ (City Parks). After that, we will also need to consult the community about the final design and colour of the new gate. This project will cost around R13,000. At the previous meeting, it was suggested that the NKRA should contribute R4,500 toward this project. This proposal was publicised in the newsletter, and no objections were received, so the October meeting resolved to contribute R4,500 toward this gate project. The gate project still needs to raise another R3,000, in addition to obtaining the outstanding municipal authorisations.

Our latest feedback from the Mall manager on the Killarney Mall refurbishment progress is that the planning process is still on-going, and they still have not found a solution that will simultaneously suit the specific requirements of the residents, the taxi operators, the Mall tenants and the Mall customers. Residents can all contact the Mall management directly, at killarneymall@cityprop.co.za.

At the time of publishing this newsletter, 40 buildings out of the 55 sectional title buildings in Killarney-Riviera have already paid their NKRA membership subscriptions for the year – this is about 72% of the total. The list of the members for 2024 so far is as follows:

• Berkeley Square
• Beverley Heights
• Biarritz
• Brenthurst Court
• Bretton Woods
• Canterbury Close
• Castlerosse
• Chartwell
• Chelston Hall
• Christina Court
• Cranwell Hall
• Daventry Court
• Devon Place
• Dumbarton Oaks
• Earls Court
• Glenhof Gardens
• Greenhills
• Hampshire Mews
• Highbury
• Hyde Court
• Interlaken
• Killarney Court & Gardens
• Killarney Hills
• Killarney Park
• Killarney Village
• Killarney Wilds
• Knightsbridge
• La Camargue
• Mentone Court
• Monviso
• Park Avenue
• Rapallo
• Riviera Mansions
• Riviera Villas
• Santa Margherita
• Sevenoaks
• Sloan Square
• Splice
• St John’s Wood
• The Rivieras

Many thanks indeed to all these buildings for your on-going support, and also to the various people who make personal donations as well. We are grateful for this support, which enables us to undertake projects for the benefit of us all.

The motto of the NKRA is “Safer, Cleaner, Better, Greener”. If you have any specific ideas and suggestions to implement this vision, please do share them urgently. Otherwise, our primary focuses are currently as follows:

• Managing the squatter and hawker and taxi and street-drinking problems in Killarney;
• Acquiring appropriate security cameras in 1^st Street and elsewhere;
• Continually warning residents and visitors about crime risks, including the risk of pick-pockets and phone-snatching on the pavements;
• Building up a sustainable Community Street Patrol;
• Building up a sustainable Community Gardens Project to grow food;
• Undertaking community projects where possible, including the WALKER initiatives.

We are happy to receive photos of interesting things that might be happening in our area, which we might include in future newsletters. We also welcome all inputs, on all issues. All interested persons can contact us at wdford@global.co.za to be added to the mailing list. Our website is at www.nkra.org.za.

Our next public meeting will be held at 18h30 on Wednesday 20 November 2024. This will be the last meeting of the year, as we do not meet in December. All owners and residents of Killarney and Riviera are welcome to participate. An agenda with a Microsoft Teams meeting link will be circulated in due course.

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Please would you share this newsletter with all your neighbours in Killarney-Riviera?

Greetings to all, keep well, and keep safe.

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City emergency hotline on 011 375 5911

If you get no response from the patrol van, please call 10111

Councillor Huggett – by SMS or WhatsApp – 071 785 8068

JMPD call centre hotline number – 080 872 3342

JMPD Control Room – 011 758 9620

JMPD number to report Homeless People camping in the vicinity – 011 490 1538

JMPD number to report Illegal Dumping – 011 490 1684

JMPD number to report Noise Pollution – 011 718 9684

JMPD number to report Illegal Advertising – 011 490 1547

JMPD number to report Illegal Trading – 011 490 1744

JMPD number to report other By-Law issues – 011 490 1684