Criminals hide in long grass
“Long grass affords criminals hiding spaces. It’s a safety hazard for us. The grass is overgrown and one wouldn’t know who is hiding there.”
Jeppestown residents are concerned about the lack of service delivery in their area.
Renate Forster, who has been a resident at Jeppestown for five years, said grass has not been cut for almost nine months in their area.
“Johannesburg City Parks has made it a norm to cut the grass once a year. Long grass affords criminals hiding areas. It’s a safety hazard for us. The grass is overgrown and one wouldn’t know who is hiding there. When I come from work in the evening I get scared as I have to walk through the bushes. The street lights don’t help much as they are work with sensors.
“My main concern is our children who go to school at John Mitchell Primary, Fairview Junior School and Jules High School. They walk through unsanitary areas where they could be robbed or even raped in bushes that are overgrown to the extent that criminals can hide,” she said.
Forster said she contacted Ward 61 Clr Vusi Zondo for assistance but did not receive assistance.
“He gave me an email address which does not work. I then contacted City Parks and they came out and only cut the grass on the side of the road,” she said.
Joshua Johnson, who also resides in Jeppestown, said residents don’t get any assistance from City Parks in terms of grass cutting.
He said that the area is now turning into a dumping spot as people dump waste on overgrown grass.
“All we ask for is for City Parks to cut the grass in our area. People are dumping all over the streets and we have rats all over because of the dumping. The area smells very bad and it’s not safe for children who walk to school. We would like our councillor to intervene and ensure that we get service delivery,” he said.
Another resident, Wayne Goldberg, said he took matters into his own hands and started to cut grass in some areas.
“But I am not able to cut the grass everywhere. We need service delivery,” he said.
In response, Zondo said he is not aware of any grass that has not been cut in Jeppestown.
“I call meetings but some residents distance themselves and don’t attend meetings. I don’t sit in the office as I have a lot that I must attend to and I don’t give residents wrong contact details,” he said.
Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo (JCPZ) general manager stakeholder and public relations officer Jenny Moodley said the maintenance of sidewalks is the responsibility of Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA).
JRA’s operations manager of marketing and communications Bertha Peters-Scheepers said JRA is responsible for cutting of grass along the verge of the roads.
“Any other grass that requires cutting will be the responsibility of the property owner. For example, if this is a park with long grass, City Parks and Zoo will be responsible,” she said.
