Trail of empty promises and no service delivery
WILGEHEUWEL - Neglected part of Northside suburbs has residents complaining that there is no service delivery.
Lack of service delivery from entities in the City of Johannesburg is creating more challenges for Wilgeheuwel residents.
Patrick King feels that as residents, they only thing they hear from the City is promises, but no delivery. “Elections come and go but we never see any difference,” said King.
According to him, the city is treating them as if they are not paying their rates and taxes.
“There are no street lights here; it’s unsafe to drive through this road in the early hours of the morning or at night. It is pitch black,” a furious King added.
At a complex where he resides, they experience house robberies, break-ins – including attempts – at least three times every week.
“If they can do something about the long grass in these velds, I’m sure crime will go down.”
The uncut grass is also a safety hazard for domestic workers who work in the area. It is alleged that vagrants hide in the veld and rape domestic workers.
“We now have to spend more [money]on taxis for us to be delivered to our work places and have also opted to walk in big groups when we knock off,” explained Malerato Keele, one of the domestic workers.
Another concern raised by King is the condition of roads in their suburb. Van Staden Road has been infested with potholes for months now.
“Two weeks ago potholes were fixed but now they are open again,” said King, who questioned the quality – or lack thereof – on the recent job done by Johannesburg Roads Agency.
Van Dalen Road South has not been tarred and King complained that in the rainy season it is impossible to drive through the road with a small vehicle.
Ward 97 councillor Jaco Engelbrecht revealed that he has been at loggerheads with the different utilities of the City of Johannesburg.
“I’ve logged numerous calls with City Parks to come and cut the grass. Calls have also been logged with JRA about potholes.” He added that some of the things have been in his Infrastructure Development Plan. Spokesperson for Honeydew Police Warrant Officer Karen Jacobs said they were dealing with issues of vagrants. City Parks and Johannesburg Roads Agency are still to comment.
Details: Ward 97 Councillor Jaco Engelbrecht 082 318 6514; Johannesburg Roads Agency 0860 562 874; City Parks 011 712 6600.
