As residents of Highbury community in Cape Town, South Africa, our lives are under constant threat due to rising crime rates in our neighbourhood. Our open fields between Highbury Park and Stellenbosch Arterial Road have become a haven for criminals who exploit these routes to infiltrate our community and perpetrate heinous crimes. Our children are being robbed on their way to schools. Burglaries have increased, commuters are often robbed on their way to the bus station, and unfamiliar faces are seen prowling about opportunistically. The situation poses an immense danger to our personal safety and undermines our family lives.

We attribute this situation to the lack of effective security measures that would otherwise limit access to the thoroughfare. According to a 2020 report from the South African Police Service, there's been a noticeable rise in attacks and burglaries in areas with open fields serving as unofficial pathways. This demonstrates that our community isn't the only one suffering from these issues.

We request the municipality of Kuilsrivier, Cape Town, to urgently intervene. We urge them to secure these open fields by putting up fences and deploying police presence or security patrols. This action will significantly restrict easy access that criminals currently have to our neighbourhood and would help in dramatically decreasing the number of crimes being committed.

This is not just about security; it's about our right to live in peace. Let us live without fear. We call upon all neighbours, friends, family, and concerned citizens to join us in this plea for justice and safety. Please stand with us and sign this petition. Our lives, our peace, and our rights are at stake. Stand with Highbury community! Sign this petition today!