Noel Hendricks, Muizenberg
I walk/run past the Muizenberg swimming pool and civic centre daily on my way to the main road, through the subway at Muizenberg station
Most days, during the week, I see Law Enforcement officers, and, on some days, there are three to four officers in uniform, walking together. Some days, they have two to three people with them in plain clothes. I assume they are trainees.
Last year before the start of the pandemic and lockdown, I was given a ticket for parking on the wrong side of the road facing oncoming vehicles. It was on the seaside of Muizenberg station next to the little circle. Drivers know they have to go round the circle on the left side. I went round the circle on the right side, so that I may sit in my car looking at the sea. I did not question the fine because I knew I was wrong.
What upsets me is that I see people parking the way I did when I got a ticket - almost every day. I also see Law Enforcement officers walking past and nobody gets a ticket.
I asked a Law Enforcement officer why do they ignore those cars because I got a ticket for parking like that. I was then told it depends on the officer.
I said if one officer enforces the law and the other doesn't, you may as well throw that law out the window. What amazes me is that I see Law Enforcement officers during the week, but at the weekend, the officers seem to have disappeared and people park anywhere and whatnot. They park on pavements, yellow lines, on the grass in front of the civic centre, and even in front and on top of a fire hydrant drain
I am all for zero tolerance and believe any law must be enforced.
• City Law Enforcement spokesman Wayne Dyason responds: The City’s enforcement agencies, including Law Enforcement, apply the relevant by-laws and rules equally.
The City’s Learner Law Enforcement Advancement Plan (LEAP) officers are temporarily deployed to various areas while they complete their training. These officers primarily enforce by-laws in areas throughout the metropole.
The City’s Traffic Service deploys officers to deal with traffic issues on a focused basis.
Residents can report transgressions of City by-laws by phoning 021 480 7700 from a cellphone and 107 from a landline.