City of Tshwane puts #SaveOurZoo plan in motion

The City of Tshwane is very concerned about the recent wave of attacks on tourists visiting the National Zoological Gardens and the negative effect it has on tourism in the city. Heeding their call, the City has joined hands with the Pretoria Zoo to change the perceptions of this area being unsafe by increasing visible policing and continuous by-law enforcement. 

The City’s Region 3 has implemented an Operation I Can Northern Gateway Action Plan with its business partners based on the broken window principle to ensure a visible change in the Pretoria Zoo area.

With regards to this area, the Tshwane Metropolitan Police has committed to the following:

 

• one static patrol vehicle and four officers on public holidays and weekends
• daily equestrian patrols
• daily by-law enforcement
• daily crime prevention team
• CCTV monitoring

SAPS will support the Action Plan through searching for drugs and weapons in this precinct, addressing the problem of people using the mountain area as an escape route and moving the satellite police station to the parking area south of the Pretoria Zoo, to ensure visible policing.

The City will furthermore improve the road markings in Boom Street to assist the Metro Police Department with by-law enforcement. Road markings for a pedestrian crossing from the parking area to the Pretoria Zoo will be made and the possibility of erecting a robot at the pedestrian crossing will be investigated.

The Electricity Division will ensure that there are no illegal electricity connections, that all streets in the northern gateway precinct have sufficient street lights and that the lights are in good working order. The Division will also ensure that all damaged lamp poles are repainted.

Region 3’s Precinct Management team will ensure intensified and continuous cleaning of the area and will also allocate a wash truck to wash sidewalks.

The City has always prided itself on its relationship with the National Zoological Gardens as it is a popular tourist attraction. The City will ensure that all role-players contribute to guarantee the safety of visitors to the Zoo.

More on operation I Can
In its effort to regenerate the inner city to create a safe and healthy environment where people feel secure to work and live in, Region 3 started a campaign in August 2012 to clean the inner city and enforce municipal by-laws.

Operation I Can is a multidisciplinary operation that involves various municipal departments as well as the SAPS and the Department of Home Affairs. It focuses on, amongst others, the removal of illegal advertising, illegal structures on Council-owned road reserves, illegal formal and informal trade activities, illegal public and private transport activities, illegal electricity connections, water use and spillage, and the illegal occupation of Council-owned properties. Broken streetlights, traffic signals, damaged street signage and potholes are fixed, and overall cleaning of the areas done. Town planning, national building and health regulations are enforced, and homeless and vagrant challenges are addressed.

Screen shot from the City of Tshwane's website.