Pretoria - The safety of at least 20 000 workers and more than 247 businesses operating in Rosslyn industrial hub will take first priority to the Rosslyn Improvement District (RID) task team.
This was said yesterday during the RID launch by the Tshwane Metro Police Department and the capital city business chamber (CCBC).
The RID was hailed as an integrated initiative for law-enforcement to address challenges related to by-laws enforcement in the business area.
At least 16 metro police officers have been deployed at the satellite office located in the area and would be divided in two shifts.
Officers would use motorbikes to swiftly respond to any call for security and also focus on by-law execution and cracking down on unlawful activities in the business area.
With motorbikes, it was said, there would be more members on the ground to ensure security visibility unlike a vehicle which would have four occupants.
RID chief executive, Fanie du Plessis, said in 2019 CCBC conducted a study in collaboration with Tshwane Economic Development Agency (Teda) to determine the scope of manufacturing within the capital city.
The study, he said, revealed that there were 40 industrial parks and areas being operational throughout the city covering all 10 sub-sectors of manufacturing from food and beverages, textiles, metal and machinery to motor vehicles, aircraft and railway products.
Du Plessis said Rosslyn provided employment to more than 20 000 people on a daily basis.
“The RID offices have been availed by Nissan SA, which illustrates how important effective service delivery and law enforcement is to the business sector,” he said.
He praised the City of Tshwane for being one of the critical role players in the initiative, saying “without the municipality on board as a critical role player, the RID will not be able to deliver according to expectation”.
He said during a recent summit on national industrial parks organised by the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition, CSIR and National Treasury there was an emphasis on the importance of creating eco-industrial parks.
“One of the exiting elements of the summit was affirmation of the internationally recognised eco-industrial park model that will assist Rosslyn in becoming world class,” he said.
Part of the eco-industrial park model included an eco security system.
Du Plessis explained that eco-security meant that security should be visible and that there should be one co-ordination with all security companies in the vicinity.
“According to this ecosystem they say that if we start working together we can create cost savings to companies up to 40% of their monthly security costs,” he said.
Executive Mayor Cilliers Brink hailed the model as being good for the city and encouraging others to replicate it in their respective areas.
Brink said about two years ago the city passed improvement district by-laws, providing an ideal opportunity for the government to work hand in glove with the private sector “to keep the streets clean, maintain our infrastructure and most important to keep the city safe”.
He pleaded with everybody to be involved with the Rosslyn improvement district.
“How this works is that businesses and members of this community contribute a little more to ensuring that the streets are clean and safe and that the basic things get done,” he said.
Pretoria News