Gautrain - Improved public transport set to boost commercial activities and escalate Property Values (COSMOCITY)

According to the Gautrain Management Agency, it is planning to extend the rail route by 150 kilometres over the next twenty years, including routes through Randburg, Fourways and Soweto. A proposed new line will connect Mamelodi (Irene) with the current network, branching off from Sandton, Randburg, Cosmo City, the Cradle of Human Kind and Lanseria.

Pretoria’s Bus Rapid Transport System – A Re Yeng – which was introduced in 2014 – has also done much to improve transport in and around Tshwane. Dos Reis Marques notes that a number of businesses have opened along the bus routes as accessibility improved.

Don’t overestimate your property value

“While the new property developments and the proposed improvement of public transport will likely have a good impact on property prices in Gauteng in the long run, we’re finding that sellers are assuming that buyers will pay unrealistic prices for homes”, says dos Reis Marques, “Buyers are very savvy and a house that’s not priced properly won’t sell. My advice to sellers remains to ask the advice of a qualified estate agent in terms of getting a realistic valuation.”

Dos Reis Marques also advises first time buyers to get pre-approval for a home loan before house hunting; “Knowing what you can afford, and importantly how much a bank is willing to loan you, will save a lot of time when it comes to buying your first property – there’s no point in making an offer on a property you can’t possibly afford. So do your homework before you start doing the legwork.”

COSMO CITY DONATIONS Stem from Trinityhouse Randpark Ridge spares time to help the less fortunate

RANDPARK RIDGE – The school recently took part in the annual Mandela Day when they packed lunches, made soup and delivered those and beanies to children in need.

Trinityhouse Preparatory Randpark Ridge grate vegetables as their bit for Nelson Mandela Day. 

Trinityhouse Preparatory and High School Randpark Ridge  took part in their annual 67 Minutes for Mandela Day initiatives.
The preparatory school participated in a soup-making initiative during which the youngsters washed, peeled and grated various vegetables. Once grated and collected, the vegetables were taken home by a number of generous parents who cooked the vegetables into a delicious soup.

Marketing officer, Robyn Aingworth, said Sunbake donated 100 loaves of bread which were added to the 100 loaves donated by the school. “During assembly on 28 July, Trinityhouse Preparatory handed over 600 litres of vegetable soup and 200 loaves of bread to Kids Haven,” said Aingworth.

She added that the high school supported Mandela Day as they collected lunch packs and beanies. The lunch packs were prepared by the students and packed during school. Aingworth explained that 1 368 lunch packs and 633 beanies were donated to 17 different schools in Zandspruit, Kya Sands, Cosmo City and Soweto.

Trinityhouse Preparatory classes grate some vegetables.

“A number of teachers and students dropped off the items at the various schools and were welcomed with big smiles and many hugs.”

Aingworth concluded that it was great to see all the children, staff and parents supporting Mandela Day and made a difference in the community.

COSMO CITY - Police response and patrol mayhem Honeydew CPF Sector 2 appeals for prioritisation as the suburb remains high in the crime stats.

Honeydew CPF Sector 2 manager Sergeant Nicholas Makhura said residential crimes have peaked, according to police stats.

The shortage of patrol vehicles and manpower at the Honeydew Police Station has been labelled as the main cause of the sky-rocketing criminal activities in the police precinct.

The station came under fire after the residents complained that they wait long hours for a response vehicle to attend to their complaints.

An informant from the Sasol garage near Clearwater Mall, where a Mercedes-Benz was hijacked on 19 July, told the Northsider that the victim had to wait five hours for a police vehicle to get to the scene. Fortunately, the vehicle was recovered hours later in Kagiso, west of Johannesburg, after the victim’s tracking company detected its whereabouts.

Read article here: Man watches robbers drive away in his Mercedes Benz

The issue of insufficient resources was tackled at a Honeydew Community Policing Forum (CPF) Sector 2 meeting on 28 July, where members pleaded for support from the police. Areas such as Weltevreden Park and Randpark Ridge required prioritisation as these areas have been subjected to constant house-breakings and dog-poisoning incidents.

Sergeant Nicholas Makhura, the Honeydew Sector 2 manager, again indicated that the area still had a serious problem with residential robberies.

He said house robberies topped the charts in the whole station this month. “House and business robberies were the biggest contributors to the crime rate this month, compared to the same period last year,” said Makhura.

CPF Sector 2 acting chairman, Neville Burnett, criticised the police for only utilising its resources in Cosmo City. “I believe the station is not giving us what we need. This is not on! We are not getting the support that we need. We got to put our foot down. We can’t carry on like this, crime has increased,” he complained.

He added that this matter should be addressed with the station commander.

The lack of police vehicles also created a problem for security personnel, who stated that police response time is poor and they take too long to trace number plates.

Honeydew Police spokesperson, Captain Balan Muthan, responded to the issues. Muthan indicated that some areas in the sector are bigger than others. “People need to understand that the Honeydew police precinct is a very big area which also polices Zandspruit and Cosmo City. The area has six sectors and each sector has two vehicles for patrols.”

He also reflected on how police operate. He said police attend to all complaints; however, there will be times where members prioritise according to the incidents. “A theft that has already occurred will not be as serious as a theft or robbery in progress.

Also, don’t expect that as you put down your telephone, you will have a police van at your doorstep,” Muthan explained.
Muthan further explained that police are taken to task if they fail in their duties. “Our reaction times are monitored on a daily basis, and if a reaction is not within the go period, then the commander or driver is held responsible,” he concluded.

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