I am referring to a few letters and stories that have been published in the Herald recently (“Metro should be taken to task”, “No place like home” and “Ekurhuleni is tans besig om gesteelde mangatdeksels met sement deksels te vervang”), and would like to say the following:
I agree with the readers’ view that the metro should be taken to task.
Brakpan is the Greenest City in South Africa, according to the Ekurhuleni Metro, and even received some award (article in the Brakpan Herald some time ago).
Upon entering Brakpan, however, visitors and residents are greeted by a “Plastic City” and the metro was going to do something about relocating it (according to an article in the Brakpan Herald some time ago).
This situation poses great health risks and dangers, not only to those “living” there, but to the whole of Brakpan.
At certain times these people burn the plastic and I cannot imagine how this affects the people in the close vicinity — and it must be worse for babies and children.
Another problem is the streetlights that are burning during the day.
This is a common occurrence throughout the town.
Every night, after the weather report on all the television stations, we get reports of electricity usage and are asked to switch off unnecessary lights, geysers and pool pumps, but the buildings all over look like Christmas trees, with lights burning day and night.
In Queens Avenue, behind Absa Bank, there is a dangerous, large hole, where the steel cover of a water drain was stolen more than two years ago.
Many people have reported it on numerous occasions, but this falls on deaf ears.
The former resident who writes “No place like home”, will soon find out, as he drives more around the town, that the streets are actually littered with paper, plastic bags, bottles (glass ones that break and damage your tyres, even causing an accident) and tins, etc.
We can only hope the municipality will get going and do something about all of the above; they seem to have the staff to be able to cope.
