Residents fear for their lives, as they come across snakes on a daily basis.
According to Erik Mbiko, on February 3 he hired a lawn mower to cut the grass in his yard as it was too much to bear.
“While I was inside the house I heard a man screaming. When I came outside I saw a huge black snake looking at us.
“We did not know what to do as we were too scared to move. I then went inside the house to look for a spade to hit the snake with, but when I came closer the snake disappeared down a hole. I then made a fire around the hole to force it to come out so we could strike first, but it never re-emerged,” Mbiko said.
Mbiko said it was the first time he had come face to face with a snake, though he had heard rumours about them from neighbours.
“I keep chickens in my yard, and ever since I moved to this section I have never seen the eggs that my chickens produce. I suspect that it was not the first time the snakes visited my house, because this explains why the eggs and the small chickens have been disappearing,” Mbiko said.
Lindiwe Hago said she is not afraid of the snakes anymore as she is now used to seeing them.
“Five snakes have entered my house since I started living here. I have killed and burned three, and two disappeared while I was trying to catch them. The experience of seeing these snakes is not a pleasant one, but what can we do? We live in this messy area. I fear for my children, who are still young, because it is not safe for them to play outside or in the house,” said Hago.
The area is also near the sewerage river.
Community leaders Maxwell Mdlungu and Themba Nkani said poor service delivery is behind the whole matter.
Nkani said they have no electricity or running water and their dustbins are not collected.
He added that as the result of the tall grass, crime has increased in the area because criminals hide behind the bushes.
“We have been living in the area for the past 17 years but nothing has been done. We need the government to intervene because we cannot go on living like this.
“We understand that the process of building houses might take long, but we plead with the municipality to at least provide the service of cutting the grass to eliminate the spread of the snakes,” Nkani said.
According to Mdlungu the matter has been raised with the ward councillor but apparently to no avail.
Ward 99 councillor Mduduzi Luvalo said he knows about the situation in Freedom Park.
“I have raised the matter with the relevant department and I have also approached the appointed grass-cutting service providers.
“The appointed service providers have started work in Windmill Park but were recently stopped by residents complaining that they are the ones who should be employed as it is their area.
“I have met with the community and the service provider to try and resolve the matter so that work can continue. As I have indicated, the grass-cutting service provider appointed by the municipality is still in Windmill Park and will move into other areas, including Freedom Park,” Luvalo said.
