Bedfordview resident Eleanor Wood is extremely concerned and frustrated at the condition of the guard house near the Malvern East Reservoir.
“Not only is it in a very bad condition but if the guards are guarding the water tower then it really is a useless waste of our tax money,” said the exasperated resident.
Wood runs a business from her home in St Georges Road and from her home has a clear view of the guard house and guards on duty.
“They lie on the pavement all day and there are no ablution facilities. This is extremely unhygienic, especially for the female guards,” she criticised.
She also complained that the guards littered and relieved themselves with newspapers around the guardhouse.
NEWS contacted the metro on the matter and according to Woods a chemical toilet mysteriously surfaced next to the guard house.
“I promise you, a day or two after I spoke to you a toilet arrived,” she said.
The resident has attempted to get the matter resolved for months and forwarded an email dated December 8, 2016, which she said she had sent to Clr Jill Humphreys.
An excerpt taken from the email sent to Humphreys reads: “The security guard shack outside our house on the pavement is getting worse in looks by the day as it is not waterproofed and hence they are using all kinds of material to try and keep the rain out. There are no toilet facilities which is a health hazard and it’s been like this for months now and nothing has been done although reported.”
Humphreys said she had contacted the relevant department which is Water and Sanitation.
“I have contacted them today again and asked for answers as I have done previously. Unfortunately, it is beyond my mandate to do more than that. The guard was appointed by them and a toilet facility was also provided,” explained Humphreys.
Humphreys added that in her understanding the guards had been placed to prevent vagrants from inhabiting the area around the water tower which would be in the interest of the nearby residents.
“How effective it has been, I cannot attest,” she added.
Metro spokesperson, Themba Gadebe, said plans for a proper guard house to be placed inside the reservoir yard are underway.
“The Malvern East reservoir is a fresh water reservoir supplying water to the Bedford Gardens area.
The need for the reservoir to be guarded was due to the challenges faced with vagrants trespassing the property and reports of alleged house robberies in the area.
This increased the risk of possible vandalism of critical components of the water supply infrastructure on the property,” explained the spokesperson.
Gadebe said there was a chemical toilet on site.
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