Murder sparks fears about drifters on navy land
A murder near a shelter in Simon's Town earlier this month has reignited painful memories for a local family, recalling a similar tragedy more than two decades ago.
The body of a 41-year-old man, believed to have lived on a large open plot of navy-owned land occupied by vagrants, known to locals as Jurassic Park, was found dead near the entrance to Happy Valley Home Shelter on Saturday January 11. He had a stab wound to his upper body (“Body found near Simon’s Town Shelter,” Echo January 13).
Saber and Razia Hoosen who live nearby said the incident brought back memories of the 2003 murder of Mr Hoosen’s sister, Zharinah Hoosen, 46.
She was shot in the stomach at close range by an armed robber posing as an employee and later died at Groote Schuur Hospital.
In a press report at the time, Zharinah’s brother, Hoosain Hoosen, said he thought a man had been watching the property.
Razia said Jurassic Park had been a problem for many years and they had reported it to police and the military police.
“Police say they have no jurisdiction as it is navy property, and the military police don't respond when you report it. They have come out once or twice in the many times we have reported it,” she said.
She said that aside from the noise and illegal fires, their primary concern was the lack of knowing who was coming and going on the property.
During the festive season, she said, someone had been on their property around 3am. Although he hadn't attempted to break in and nothing was stolen, Razia described it as a “scary incident”.
She said they had not reported the incident to police as it was not their jurisdiction. However, they did report the vagrants returning to Jurassic Park and the mountainside to City Law Enforcement.
A few years ago, she added, a man had managed to gain entry to their property by removing some pre-cast concrete slabs from their wall.
“He’s still roaming the streets,” she said.
She said the vagrants had been evicted shortly before Christmas, had taken their belongings, and had stayed on the beach for the day and returned to the property after sunset.
She said there was always someone roaming around and she was becoming paranoid constantly going to the back room to see if everything at “Jurassic Park was still in order”.
Happy Valley Home Shelter manager Patrick Msakayeya said the safety of Happy Valley staff and clients was a concern especially in winter as many of the clients worked late and would return to the shelter after dark.
Ward councillor Simon Liell-Cock said the City and navy had cleared out the area surrounding Happy Valley just before Christmas.
Many of the people at Jurassic Park were not homeless and came to the area to deal in drugs or commit crime, he said, adding that he would arrange regular operations and for the alien vegetation to be cleared as it provided hiding places and posed a fire risk.
Simon’s Town police chief Captain Vishnu Pillay confirmed that the property belonged to the navy and said the vagrants always returned after every clean-up. He said the police would participate in the next clean-up with the navy and the City.
Despite several emailed media enquiries to the navy, no response was received by time of publication.
