Over the past four months we have been observing how Klipriver Drive has deteriorated and is continuing to deteriorate at a rapid pace.
We cannot believe the current state of our main gateway into the south of Joburg. What exactly is happening to our area and why are the departments of the City simply ignoring enforcing the bylaws?
On Monday October 28, I invested some precious time to inspect Klipriver Drive as it has been a ‘thorn in my side’ every day I travel to and from work. I took pictures to show the lawlessness of people who have blatantly dumped, and got away with it, because they were not seen, caught or brought to trial.
On an open council property, travelling south from Booysens Road, you will clearly see thousands of blue disposable “Baby Pamper” nappies dumped among other household refuse and building rubble which is being dumped there on a regular basis by the surrounding residents.
Further down, still travelling south, after the Engen Garage are some scary dilapidated houses, with broken boundary walls, who also dump, on a daily basis, all sorts of household items, from mattresses to surfboards, blankets and general household refuse. The area looks totally contaminated. Do people actually live there?
A concerned resident reported to SOJO earlier in October that there are squatters and illegal dumping taking place on the open space in Amanda Road opposite Calisto’s in Gillview. I continued my investigations on the morning of the 28th and discovered a knocked down traffic light at the intersection of Rifle Range and Amanda roads.
This is the second time this traffic light has been knocked over within the past month. En route I stopped in Amanda Road to obtain evidence of the lodged report. The pictures taken clearly show the alleged shacks and all sorts of dumping, however 45 minutes later and coincidentally, Jorge Calisto sends me fresh photographs of a vehicle dumping building rubble at the exact same spot! How ruthless are these people?
These photos have now been sent to JMPD dumping department for action and truly hope that the perpetrators are named and shamed as there is sufficient proof for prosecution. We will follow up and report back on the outcome of this story.
Sadly though my day’s horrors did not end there… En route back north toward Booysens, at the council flats where household refuse is continuously been thrown over the burnt precast boundary wall and sprawled on the grassed pavement as well in between the trees, I saw a man walking out between the broken precast wall and literally emptying his bag of household refuse onto the existing pile. Snap! Smile for my candid camera!
A meeting was convened by SOJO early in October with Urban Management Department, Pikitup, JRA and City Parks to plan a major clean-up along Booysens Road and Klipriver Drive.
Entering the South of Joburg from the M1 freeway, these two main streets are the entrance to the southern suburbs and business areas. SOJO’s function is to provide the environment for companies to be able to continue their business without having to worry about service delivery issues and at the same time promote and enhance the tourism opportunities which attract visitors and investors into clean, safe and green surroundings. We can only achieve this with the partnership of City departments, however to date, we have not had any cooperation from these powers.
As recently as last week, the Joburg Expo Centre hosted the International Motor Show. We had to practically solicit the various departments to clean and fix the surrounding areas so that visitors entering could enjoy their experience. During this period, illegal dumping was taking place in the mine dump adjacent to the Expo Centre and for an hour we battled to get at least one JMPD officer to come on site to investigate, meanwhile on Saturday October 19, five JMPD officers were issuing parking tickets at the approved Dragon Boat Spring Festival event!
We are aware that there is a huge mayoral drive to have the Inner City cleaned up, but what happens to the surrounding areas? Do they have to function in isolation and deal with the overspill of the Inner City’s clean up brunt? Does everything stand still while the City receives its ‘100th facelift’ with every new elected mayor? It obviously seems this way as we struggle to get the attention of officials to assist us with general service delivery, and mayhem on our doorsteps steam-rollers ahead. Let me not even begin to address the plight of illegal immigrants, illegal cash for scrap dealers, hijacking of buildings and the list is endless. Perhaps Carte Blanche’s Devi Naidoo may find the south of Joburg an interesting story to explore?
Story and pictures supplied by Nicky Vakaloudis – CEO of SOJO Business and Tourism.
