“I drove past there this morning and nearly had a heart attack when the people from the panel beater were spray-painting a car right next to the road. Who will pay for the damage if some of the paint ends up on my vehicle?” she complained. The resident noted that she had complained to the Merafong City Local Municipality about the problem many times and was particularly worried about how it would affect the school once it opened in a few weeks. When the Herald visited the site last Thursday, the whole sidewalk behind Onyx Drive and the parking next to Goudwes School was full of car wrecks. Some were also parked on the sidewalk next to the school’s fence. “I live in Tugela Street and am not happy with this. I have complained to the traffic department before and they asked these people to remove the cars, but they just brought them back again,” a passer-by also lamented. After hearing the complaints, the Herald contacted the business owner, who identified himself only as “DK”. “I had my business in somebody’s yard, but they asked me to move, so I came here,” he says. “DK” apologised profusely for the problems that his business caused and said he had organised to move it elsewhere. “I have arranged a breakdown vehicle to tow them there. By Thursday, you will not see a single car here,” he promised. The Herald also contacted the municipality about the problem on Tuesday. “The municipality is aware of the problem and it is illegal to conduct business on sidewalks and roads. Notices and fines were issued to the businessman and vehicles were also confiscated. The municipality is in the process of appointing lawyers to deal with the matter,” a municipal spokesperson said. 
