‘Nightmare’ car window washers are back in Joburg – so where are the police?
City of Johannesburg councillors have called on the Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) to intensify its enforcement of by-laws and ensure that those who violate them are brought to book.
The call was made during a Public Safety Forum in Sandton this pat week, the second leg of an ongoing campaign to gather input from councillors with the aim of enhancing safety measures and re-evaluating the Joburg 10 Plus strategy.
The 10 Plus plan is a public safety initiative aimed at bringing metro policing closer to communities through ward-based deployments.
In Sandton last week, councillors identified the following issues:
- Noise pollution
- Car-window washing
- Informal trading
- Poor traffic management
- Illegal billboards
- Illegal parking
- Illegally occupied buildings
- Crime and drug abuse as some of the public safety concerns raised by residents.
One councillor said window washers had become a threat to motorists, particularly female drivers.
“When motorists don’t agree for their windows to be washed, the window washers break the windscreen wipers. They tend to get angry when they are not given anything. This is a nightmare for our people.
“We had promises from JMPD for years but nothing has changed. We’re requesting JMPD to be visible in those spots so people can feel safe,” he said.
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IOL reported in September that residents in Bedfordview, Kensington and Edenvale took to the streets to campaign against window washers in the area.
Organiser Leon de Bruin said window washers had been responsible for attempted murder, assault, damage to cars, threats, intimidation, antagonism and insults.
“They have also invaded nearby houses and beaten residents. They engage in provocative behaviour, use drugs, and are a risk to all motorists. It’s a matter of time before someone gets killed. We are tired of feeling threatened every time we approach this intersection,” he said.
Councillors said they were frustrated in not being able to play a bigger role in policy-making.
The first leg of the forum was held in Emmarentia, and will be taken to all regions to see how the Joburg 10 Plus Plan can be fine-tuned.
“We’ve seen that the existing one is clearly not working. We’re picking up a lot of information. The one thing that often comes up is JMPD visibility, which is needed in many parts of the city. Hopefully, the extra 1,500 JMPD officers to be recruited soon will boost visibility on the ground,” said Michael Sun, a member of the mayoral committee for public safety.
In 2015, metro police said they had arrested more than 550 illegal windscreen washers over a six month period between February and July.
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