Call for action against pubs that flout law
Brooklyn, Ysterplaat and Rugby residents held a protest on Saturday calling for pubs and nightclubs along Milnerton’s Koeberg Road that flout the law to be closed.
About 50 people joined the peaceful protest along the road.
Pubs and clubs there were a source of noise and anti-social behaviour, and they broke the law by not closing on time and letting patrons leave with alcohol, said the protesters.
A petition with some 200 signatures was presented to officials from the City and the Western Cape Liquor Authority (WCLA).
Some residents wrote to the City and WCLA detailing their experience with “non-compliant pub owners and rude customers”.
Residents complained about fighting in the streets, patrons leaving with alcohol, broken beer bottles on the pavements and the smell of urine outside their homes.
“Save our children, and clean our streets,” the crowd could be heard shouting in front of the pubs they accused of flouting the law.
Justin Kumlehn, the chairman of the Brooklyn, Ysterplaat and Rugby Residents’ Association (BYRRA), said that Pa Daddas Pub and the Kitchen of BBQ were near to schools.
While some pubs and nightclubs were legal, they did not close on time and they allowed their customers to leave with alcohol, Mr Kumlehn said.
“They are allowed to operate until 2am, but their parties go on throughout the night,” he said.
Many of the establishments had too few toilets and patrons ended up urinating in the streets.
Mr Kumlehn said the BYRRA had handed the petition to the City and WCLA, giving them 21 days to find a solution.
WCLA representative Sandiso Gwabe said he would respond to the BYRRA before the 21-day period was over and, while a solution was sought, WCLA inspectors would do unannounced visits to the pubs and nightclubs to check that they closed on time and complied with the law.
Silvia Philips, who has lived in Brooklyn for 30 years, said the area was deteriorating and every Monday morning she had to pick up empty and broken beer bottles outside her gate.
People had been stabbed or badly injured in frequent fights outside the pubs, and there was no security staff, she said.
“I have to deal with noise coming from the pubs even after hours, and when you approach the owners, they become aggressive,” she said, accusing the pub owners of giving residents sleepless nights.
Residents had given up on calling the police when there were fights because they took too long to respond, she said.
Jappie de Vries, a member of the BYRRA, said she did not want to stop someone from running a business, but residents should be respected.
“Our area cannot stay clean because Koeberg Road is being used as a dumping ground,” she said.
“We are asking the City to deploy law enforcement to this area on a regular basis
City community liaison officer Louis Casson received the petition but referred all our questions to the City’s media department, which did not respond by deadline.
At least four pub owners, including those at Pa Daddas and the Kitchen of BBQ, refused to speak to Tabletalk.
A pub owner, who identified himself only as Bheki, said that only “old and white people” joined the protest, which he labelled racist.
“These people are parents of people who visit our businesses,” he said.
He said he always closed his pub at 2am and had no control over what the customers did when they left.
Maitland police did not respond to questions by deadline.
