Tension was high at the corner of JG Strijdom and Cornelius Roads on 6 September when a number of governing bodies met with concerned resident Lynn Petzer regarding the illegal taxi rank across Palm Court Centre.
Councillor Mike Tonkin was joined by council member Suzanne Clarke, Johannesburg Roads Agency, JMPD, Pikitup, City Parks, and Sector 2 Community Policing Forum representatives to assess the situation.
The corner is used as an informal taxi rank every day, but it’s on weekends in particular that local residents experience the most trouble with taxis and commuters. Petzer claims that on Friday afternoons commuters start consuming alcohol while they wait for taxis to arrive. These commuters leave rubbish and bottles strewn across the park area and urinate against the walls of the corner property which is a privately owned residence. Drugs are also allegedly dealt on the corner. This apparently continues throughout the weekend until late on Sunday evenings.
Tempers flared as the parties argued over who was ultimately responsible for maintenance on the corner. It was only after appeals for calm were heeded that everyone agreed, diplomatically, to fulfill their duties and see to it that all forms of littering, loitering and illegalities are eradicated.
