#Elections2024: Frustration over decaying in Plantation

The bad and the ugly 

This leafy neighbourhood grapples with long-standing social and service delivery issues, including decaying public infrastructure, which has outlived its design lifespan and now requires reconstruction or major rehabilitation.

This includes the roads, stormwater drains, the underground sewer line and drinking water pipes.

Residents who spoke to this publication also lamented the lack of police visibility, virtually non-existent grass-cutting, poorly maintained storm water drains, pitch-dark streets at night because of no working street lights, and encroachment where people build onto public spaces or carry out unauthorised activities.

To add to these social woes, residents also bemoaned the increased traffic congestion because of the closure of the sinkhole-damaged stretch of Rondebult Road and the stretch of Hospital Road around the railroad bridge damaged during the gas tanker explosion, which claimed dozens of lives and left others badly injured.

Resident Kurt Volmink said, “Since the closure of some of the roads around us, we have been forced to contend with the problems caused by the extremely high volumes of traffic during peak hours.

“The lack of street lights makes it dangerous for residents to venture out at night, and the stormwater drains are constantly clogged, causing issues during rainy seasons.

“Our area also lacks reliable public transport, and the discontinuation of train services has worsened things because many residents relied on it.

“Many people here, including my children when they travel to school, used the train service because of its proximity to our homes, and their fares were very reasonable. But now, they are forced to spend double what they used to on alternative means of transport.”

Zelda Davis, who works at the local NPO Urban Ruins, said her organisation has identified serious problems like substance abuse and youngsters dropping out of school because of no family support.

She attributed these issues to several factors, including the intergenerational cycle of poverty, unemployment and limited access to quality education.

“It is for that reason we came in and initiated programmes aimed at helping struggling young people acquire the skills and knowledge necessary to find jobs, because this might help them to subsequently break free from poverty and welfare or family and social grant dependence.”

Rosetta Brits, who has lived in the area for 35 years and lost four children in the blast, said while there are a few issues regarding service delivery in the area, her biggest concern is the lack of reliable public transport in her suburb.

“The passenger train service was stopped. I used to take the train to visit my relatives in Brakpan. Now that we have no trains, we are forced to use costly transport services like e-hailing services.”

Ashley Volmink is unhappy with the waste removal services in the area.

“It’s a big problem. Sometimes, weeks go by before the metro truck comes to collect refuse. The street lights in the area also do not work, making the streets dangerous because criminals could take advantage of the darkness to commit crimes,” he said.

Gerhard Pennington complained about the lack of police visibility and highlighted that the area does not have even one park or recreational facility where community members can unwind.

“Even when you call the police when there is a problem, they take hours to arrive, yet are just a stone’s throw across the railway line.

“A man, probably rushing to hospital after being shot in Angelo informal settlement, got into an accident in front of my house and died, and it took the police about two hours to arrive.

“When it comes to the municipality, we have, as members of the Residents’ Association, requested they turn a piece of land on the upper side of the suburb into a public park, but no one even acknowledged receiving our proposal.”

Responding to our question about his expectations from whoever wins the upcoming elections this month, Pennington said he would vote but feels the existing service delivery problems need a complete overhaul of the local government leadership.

He also lamented corruption in government and the lack of accountability among senior municipal officials and politicians in council.

“For the various Ekurhuleni towns to function correctly, the city must consider reverting to the old system where each town has its own municipality to attend to its pressing needs.

“The Ekurhuleni metro is too big. That makes it difficult to hold those in power accountable for a specific town because they look after all of them in the metro.

“Corruption in the metro has stared us in the face for a long time, and it is difficult to pinpoint who the problem is if we operate as a metro.

“It would be better if we went back to the system where there is, for example, a Boksburg municipality. Then we know this person is responsible for Boksburg,” said Pennington.

The good

Despite all the bad and ugly, Plantation residents feel privileged to have one of the biggest hospitals on their doorstep and like their proximity to the railway line.

“Despite its service delivery challenges, I love living close to the hospital because whenever we need medical help, we just walk to the facility.

“However, once I needed an ambulance because I could not walk on my own, but the ambulance took hours. When it finally arrived, I had already given birth to my youngest child in the house.

“The trains, when operational, are noisy, but we have learnt to live with it. The benefits of having them running through our area weigh more than the noise,” said Brits.

Meanwhile, Pennington said being a part of such a tight-knit community of residents who care and support one another makes him proud to be a resident of Plantation.

“Despite the poor police visibility and response to complaints, the crime has decreased due to community efforts and security companies.”

He said that among the community initiatives to curb crime, they turned their neighbourhood into an enclosed suburb.

“The enclosure helps us to easily monitor the movements of people entering and exiting our neighbourhood, and I believe this has contributed to the decrease in criminal activities.

“Also, the enclosure helps prevent the heavily armed illegal miners in the adjacent minefield from entering. They would come running through our area when they fled the police during illegal mining operations.”

Pennington said he is also proud of the aesthetics of the vintage buildings in the community, saying they need to be protected by the relevant institutions because they form part of the area’s heritage facilities.

Volmink gave the security companies the thumbs up for their role in preventing crime and responding to complaints in the area.

Davis described Plantation as a tight-knit community.

“Here, we look out for one another. Our NPO does not only empower the youth with skills but also feeds hungry people, particularly homeless people and children from poor families. These people came off the streets and are now volunteers here, and that is what we are trying to do as an NPO to get them off the streets.”

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