Illegal dumping causes eyesore in Penford Grove
Penford Grove resident Louis Aurel is at his wit's end after years of neglect have led to the area becoming an illegal dumbing site, compromising the water reservoir.
FOR over two years, the community of Penford Grove in eThekwini Ward 27 has been irked by illegal dumping, tampering of the power substation and a compromised water reservoir.
According to Louis Aurel, a concerned community member, the area is an eyesore and has become a den for the homeless.
“It all began in June 2022 when a big tree fell over the wall fence that secures the water reservoir and power substation. It has not been repaired to this day despite endless requests to the eThekwini Municipality.”
He added that the premises housing the two infrastructures was then an open field. “The premises are not secured. There has been a community of drug users and criminals who have made these premises their home with the ease of access.” This, he said, has resulted in several attempts to steal cables. As a result, the residents encounter disturbances with constant damage to house lights and wall plugs, subsequently damaging their appliances.
Also read: Local artist shines light on Palestinian plight
“The water reservoir is unprotected, and we fear that the homeless people may pollute the water supplying this whole area. At one point, we tried to heavy-lock the gate, however, it was not long before the locks were stolen.”
He added that the worst contributions are uncollected tree shrubs next to the main road (Peter Mokaba Road). “Every two months, we organise community members to clean up the area because our requests to the City have fallen on deaf ears.”
Ward 27 councillor Ernest Smith confirmed that he had engaged with the eThekwini Water and Sanitation Unit to assist in trying to resolve these collective issues as this is detrimental to water distribution to the area.
“Issues have been ongoing in terms of access to the reservoir. The security was reduced which resulted in the surrounding homes being burgled. Items such as copper piping, toasters and bicycles were stolen,” he said.
Smith said that there had been complaints about the homeless individuals who frequent the area and utilise the front section of the substation / bus stop as an overnight stop.
Also read: Safety concerns raised over hazardous debris
On illegal dumping, he said that illegal dumping was an issue across the metro and, unfortunately, it involved members from other communities who saw viable spots to dump refuse and the like.
“To minimise this, we need the community to be vigilant and help report matters to Durban Solid Waste with identifying information, eg, a number plate, so that the vehicle owner can be traced and charged for this by-law infringement,” he concluded.
The community of Ward 27 remain hopeful that The City will intervene, but in the meantime, measures of safety and keeping the area clean remain its responsibility while incurring all the costs involved.
For more from Berea Mail, follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram. You can also check out our videos on our YouTube channel or follow us on TikTok.
