The current state of the Benoni CBD, specifically on the corner of Swan Street and Cranbourne Avenue, has some business owners up in arms regarding cleanliness, safety and recyclers.
According to local business owners, who met with the City Times on site, the CBD is in a “sorry state” with “rubbish everywhere” due to recyclers using the streets as a sorting ground, and crime is on the increase.
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Anton du Plessis, a business owner, said a persistent water leak, suspected to be an ongoing issue since 2009, and not enough regular street clean-ups were leading to rubbish lining the streets.
“This is so disgusting, and to make matters worse, this water leak has been there for the past 10 years,” said du Plessis.
The business owners also highlighted a vacant parking area in Cranbourne Avenue that is filled with rubbish, which is also being used for defecation and other social ills.
“Recyclers discard unwanted rubbish on the sidewalks,” they said.
“The crime rate here has also gone up recently.
“Theft and vandalism are a common occurrence, and sometimes our customers are targeted.”
Another owner said there are instances where the recyclers have also gotten into fights with each other.
Further to this, they said a stop sign placed at the corner of these streets was stolen, which they say they have requested be replaced (by the Ekurhuleni metro), subsequently led to an accident last year.
The City Times contacted the metro, Benoni SAPS and EMPD regarding the matter.
Ekurhuleni metro response
“After our investigation, it can be confirmed that there is no water leak, but the water is actually coming from the shop nearby,” said divisional head of communication and media relations in the Ekurhuleni metro Nhlanhla Cebekhulu.
“The owner was engaged and he confirmed the water is actually ground water coming from their property.
“He mentioned they have a well inside the property for underground water and when it gets full water gets pumped into the street through a pipe.
“The other problem was that the stormwater grid gets blocked often, so water becomes stagnant.
“The metro has dispatched officials to remove the overgrown grass on the edges of the sidewalks and clear the blockages.
“Residents also need to get involved in reducing the illegal dumping, which contributes to water pooling.”
SAPS response
“We always plead with the community to report crime, no matter how small it may be, or come forward with information that might assist the police to combat crime,” said Benoni SAPS spokesperson Nomsa Sekele.
“According to our records, there are no cases reported implicating recyclers and yes, our vehicles do patrol the area for crime prevention.
“We do not have patrolling schedules.”
* No response was received from the EMPD at the time of going to print.
