Cape Town – A well-known businessman in the Camps Bay area has admitted to appointing the private security company at the centre of the controversy surrounding the removal of beachgoers picnicking at Clifton’s Fourth Beach.
Police confirmed they were probing three separate cases of assault lodged against Professional Protection Alternatives (PPA) involving vendors and a driver along the Victoria Road beachfront.
Two vendors renting out beach umbrellas and loungers opened assault cases against the PPA in November, followed by a complaint from a driver who had collected a worker from a shift this month.
In earlier reports, police spokesperson Brigadier Novela Potelwa said: “Police are also investigating three assault cases against the security company in the area.
"The complainants, two beach vendors and an acquaintance of a female restaurant employee, opened assault cases against the private security personnel for different incidents.”
Potelwa said three suspects, aged between 20 and 35, were arrested and would appear in court on February 4.
A video circulating on social media shows two PPA security guards searching a vendor on Victoria Road.
In ongoing protest action, members of the EFF yesterday marched from the city centre to Clifton to commence a 12-hour demonstration.
The protesters aimed to stay at the beach until 6am this morning. Scores of beachgoers were filmed leaving as EFF numbers grew and protesters sang.
Lobby group Black People’s National Crisis Committee, who slaughtered a sheep at the beach on Saturday, have vowed to continue their campaign to #ReclaimClifton until tomorrow.
The City is reportedly planning to lay charges of animal cruelty against the protesters.
According to a reliable source, PPA was hired by individuals with vested business interests in the area, also seeking to drive out informal traders.
These individuals, according to the source, include David Raad, the owner of upmarket café Caprice, who serves as Camps Bay Business Forum chairperson, and Byron Herbert, the owner of Herbert Properties in Camps Bay, who also represents the Camps Bay Ratepayers Association.
The source alleges that these two influenced the Clifton Bungalow Owners Association chairperson, Michael Rubin, to employ the services of PPA.
Approached for comment, Raad said people no longer felt safe walking along the strip and that PPA was contracted to help manage safety and security issues that many businesses on Victoria Road had been experiencing.
“The reason PPA were chosen was because they had experience in dealing with some of these issues in areas such as Mouille Point and Sea Point, and their staff would be trained to work within the framework of the laws and by-laws.
"As far as vendors go, once news broke on social media about the vendors being harassed, I was concerned and immediately called the operating team at PPA to find out more. I was told that all they were doing was checking if vendors had permits, and if they didn’t, they would call in law enforcement to deal with the situation,” Raad said.
He claimed Camps Bay has an influx of illegal vendors over the holiday period, and this seemed like a reasonable measure to manage the situation.
According to Herbert, who said he was only representing the Camps Bay and Clifton ratepayers associations in vetting PPA, the company was appointed to protect businesses, customers and beachgoers along Victoria Road.
“The residents pay in the region of over R300 million in rates and the City, while it has other constraints, is not able to provide adequate law enforcement officers for our area.
"PPA was endorsed by the Llandudno Ratepayers Association, who had called them in following a spate of break-ins, and they sorted that out. The only people who are complaining are the criminals,” he said.
Herbert said PPA were specialists, and while he was aware of the reports of searching vendors, the security had removed makeshift weapons from the vendors, as well as other contraband.
Herbert said another concern was the influx of “illegal car guards” during the festive period, which could have been averted had the City been able to implement paid parking by January 1.
Approached for comment, Rubin said the association’s chairperson was out of the country.
“I am not now, nor have I ever been, an office-bearer of the Bungalow Owners Association. Similarly, I have played no role in the appointment of PPA.”
PPA’s advocate, Bruce Hendricks, said the allegations were untrue and unfounded, and that police had not approached his clients regarding any investigations.
Environmental Affairs Minister Nomvula Mokonyane has cautioned against discriminatory practices at beaches across the country.
“No private persons or entities may interfere with the rights of citizens to access and enjoy our beaches, and I hope the City of Cape Town will investigate reported incidents and make public findings in this regard,” she said.