ALBERTON – Ekurhuleni council has applied a R5 levy on residents’ rates account as an area cleaning levy, but where is the money going and can residents see the results?
Cecilia, a resident from New Redruth, said, “They have not cleaned the streets of New Redruth since before Christmas. With this money they should be able to employ permanent street cleaners for the area.
“The corner of Telawarren and St Aubyn streets has become a dumping site. The street corner has garden refuse dumped there and old furniture has been dumped in the area near the parking garages.
“The park next to the Boma is full of broken glass especially on the rockery. The shopping areas are always messy. I think it’s unacceptable that residents pay more than R1 000 in rates, and then have this levy added and the council provides us with such a poor service.”
Councillor Bruna Haipel has said that many of the areas mentioned above were from her ward and that she would follow up as soon as possible with the intention of fixing the problems.
On January 21 Councillor Izak Berg took a drive to most of the parks in and around Alberton only to witness poor workmanship all around.
“Council workers, who have been employed and are being paid with the levy money from residents, are supposed to start working at 07:00. They get to Randhart shopping centre to buy food and stand around.
“By 10:00 they get to their different working parks, not having done a stitch of work yet and before you know it, it’s lunch time again,” complained Berg.
He also said that the workers do half a job, because cut grass is left on the side of the road. They cut grass over the rubbish laying around instead of picking it up, and some areas’ grass are not even cut, leaving behind long grass and an unsightly Alberton.
Izak Berg is fighting for the ratepayer’s money and would like to see these workers reprimanded for not working on time or properly, and for some, not working at all.
“When I am called out to these sites, there is never a supervisor in sight, so these workers can do as they please.
“I am receiving numerous calls from people complaining that the Metro is quick to levy fees like the Area Cleansing levy, and nothing has improved, as a matter of fact it is deteriorating by the day.
“Many children want to make use of the parks and open spaces but they can’t because of the state of our parks. Residents are paying to get these parks cleaned and kept clean,” Berg concluded.
