Several properties in Bedfordview, which belong to the City of Ekurhuleni have fallen into disrepair.
Ward 20 Clr Jill Humphreys said that among these are the Bedfordview Clinic, Firemen’s Cottages located next to the Bedfordview Fire Station and the Bedfordview Town Hall.
“The outside grounds of the clinic are a shocking mess of weeds and rubble. There is also an unrepaired water leak, which has been there for over a year.”
She added that the guardhouse at the licensing department on Nicol Road had no electricity and the grounds for the licensing centre were unmaintained.“Bedfordview Town Hall including the license office, DEMS and the library are overgrown with weeds. The walls of the building and steps to these places are broken,” said Humphreys.
She said that the Bedfordview Rates Office was a danger to elderly residents who need to access the property to pay their rates.“The library parking lot has had mountains of dead trees and debris for the last 18 months. The DEMS outside the building has an un-serviced sewerage issue that has been ignored for years and there are piles of leftover building equipment from unfinished projects,” she said.
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Humphreys highlighted growing issues at the Bedfordview Firemen’s Cottages.
“I actually don’t know where to start. These beautifully appointed cottages have become a slum.
“There are reports of open prostitution and drug dealing. The whole area is a disgusting mess and a threat to surrounding areas. The cottage facing Nicol Road is shocking and is in dire need of a coat of paint.
“As the City dithers and does nothing to oust the illegal ‘tenants’, the entire area has fallen into decay,” she said.
She further said that the City had done nothing to address issues at the Senderwood Taxi Rank.
“There are illegal hawkers and the ablution facilities have been abused and destroyed.”
Humphreys also questioned what was happening with the tenancy of Gillooly’s Farm.
“With all the enormous interest and brilliant business plans and ideas nothing has come of anything,” she said.
“What should be a flagship park is just another disgraceful flop of ideas.”
Spokesperson for the City of Ekurhuleni, Zweli Dlamini, said that the debris at the clinic had been left by a previous contractor.
“This has been removed and the trees were trimmed. Trimming of trees will happen monthly to prevent future overgrowth,” he said.
Touching on the state of the DEMS building courtyard, Dlamini said that the contractor appointed to replace pipes had left without cleaning the site.
“The City will get the rubble removed.”
He added that the cause of the drainage block at the building had been removed.
“The City’s cleaning team will check and clear the drains weekly,” Dlamini said.
He also said that the roots of a large tree outside the rates offices are the cause of the damage to the ramp.
“It will be fruitless expenditure to install handrails before the tree is removed.”
Dlamini said an internal team would deal with issues at the Bedfordview Library including gutter clearing, maintenance of air-conditioning units and replacement of curtains.
He added for issues at the Bedfordview Town Hall, contractors would be called in to clear the gutters. “The building is very high. The internal team cannot use ordinary step ladders to clean the gutters.”
According to Dlamini, tenants at the Firemen’s Cottages are not employees of the City.
“They are denying City officials access and claim that the building was sold to them,” he said.
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