Dear Hermanus Special Ratings Area (HSRA) Property Owner,

During March

• Implementation of the projects to improve the efficiency of HPP’s surveillance capability are progressing well and will be completed by the middle of April (please refer to the January and February newsletters for more details).
• Plans for eight new camera sites in Eastcliff, Northcliff and Westcliff were approved. The sites were determined in collaboration with the community members.
• Several projects to improve safety and greening in the CBD were proposed and are being costed.
• HPP collaborated with SAPS, Municipal Law Enforcement, and other relevant bodies to ensure that safety prevailed during the protest march on 20 March. HPP CCTV infrastructure performed a key surveillance role during the event.
• The Hermanus Homeless Working Group is gaining traction. The aim is to address the plight of the homeless and vagrant people in Hermanus.

Projects to increase safety and greening in the CBD

Several projects are being assessed to bring more “greenage”, improve lighting, reduce littering, and increase safety in the CBD. Amongst these plans, the placement of a mobile safety kiosk, manned by skilled officers will be tested in Swallow’s Park.

The Hermanus Homeless Working Group

HPP’s performance reports indicate that approximately 55% of the incidents we respond to relate to vagrants and homeless people. Ratepayers understandably frequently express their concern of the impact which vagrants have on tourism, business, and the sense of safety as well as cleanliness in our SRA.

Homelessness and vagrancy are of course a worldwide problem. In South Africa it appears that deteriorating socio-economic conditions are exasperating the situation. To address the issue, last year HPP’s (previous) Board asked Luceo Solutions to assist with a review of the situation in Hermanus and to provide recommendations. Luceo’s findings and recommendations were shared with a wide range of stakeholders which included the OM, NGO’s, church representatives, the Night Shelter, and others.

The output of the exercise identified three aspects which must be addressed – not all necessarily within the direct mandate of HPP.

• Developmental solutions (e.g., social upliftment, night shelter facilities, job creation, training).

• Security based solutions (e.g., creating a safer environment for businesses and their patrons during the evening, improved HPP surveillance and increased presence of Law Enforcement Officers).

• Urban management adjustments (e.g., improved parking management, dealing with illegal car guards).

I am pleased to report that the Hermanus Homeless Working Group (HHWG), under the leadership of Gerhard Smit, the Overstrand Social Development Manager, is making good progress in addressing the Developmental Solutions. One of their priorities is to provide a shelter for feeding schemes which, for instance, is not located close to tourist hotspots. HPP will encourage the HHWG to communicate its initiatives in the appropriate media.

Whilst it is not within HPP’s mandate to solve the homelessness and vagrancy problems in our SRA, we will continue to perform a facilitating and supporting role.

Finally, I thank HPP members for writing to me and for responding to issues raised in our newsletters. We love hearing from you! Thank you also to Mr Peter Doble for expressing his support of HPP’s activities and for stating:

“While we cannot encourage vagrancy and begging, our humanity must respect the circumstances in which many people, often through no fault of their own, find themselves. Poverty is a fact of life worldwide and we can only think ourselves fortunate to live in comfort in one of the most stunning and spectacular locations.”