Life beyond the reeds

Elsburg/Weideman Dam was a big influence in helping Juanita Horn and her family make a decision about moving into their dream home in Klippoortjie AH years ago, and, now in 2019, it has become a nightmare.

The sight of young boys catching and releasing fish, bird life seen in abundance and children playing in the park has morphed into an unsafe veld with illegal dwellers occupying vacant houses in the area and some living under the trees.

Residents living around Elsburg/Weideman Dam have allegedly called for the abandoned houses to be demolished and the reeds to be cut as it attracts illegal occupants and is quickly turning into a dumping site.

Furthermore, residents suspect the houses attract criminal activity.

According to one resident, Stephan Butler, on May 12 the power in the area was cut from around 6pm to the following morning. When he and a few other residents went to investigate at the substation situated on the corner of van Niekerk and Weideman streets, they chased two men, suspected to be cable thieves, into the veld and then disappeared into one of the abandoned buildings.

Butler also stated that when reporting this matter to the police, they were told it’s a municipal issue.

“We’ve had the EMPD on site on many occasions,” he said.

“They give us the same feedback as the SAPS, that it is a municipal problem.

“We have been signing petitions with ward Clr Alta de Beer over the past two years and raised these problems, but nothing gets done.

“Residents in the area are so tired of these issues; we have heard some want to take things into their own hands and go demolish those abandoned buildings themselves.”

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According to Horn, the community has sent written complaints about a few issues in their community to council, two petitions, one signed in 2017 and one this year, and an objection to the proposed IDP budget.

“The dam is in a shocking state of neglect, deteriorating more each year,” she said.

“Reeds have taken over.

“Promises have been made since 2010 to upgrade the dam.

“During 2017 at the 2017/2018 budget meeting, the following amounts were finally allocated towards the Elsburg/Weideman Dam project: R500 000 would be invested for desilting the water and removing reeds, R1.1-million for the retention of the dam and R600 000 dedicated to upgrading Weideman Park.

“The only outstanding issue was a water licence and a waiting period of 300 days to obtain it.

“It is a year later and I assume the 300 days have expired, but nothing has been done.”

During winter when the grass is dry, the residents allegedly often have to call the fire department to put out fires that spread due to open fires made by the illegal occupants.

“Not only is the smoke a health threat, but the fires are a fire hazard to other surrounding properties,” said Horn.

“The houses are also used as a dumping site and the vacant land is currently so overgrown that the young trees, which the metro planted, cannot be seen. There are no streetlights and it is a convenient hideout for criminals.

“For security reasons, the residents often complain as it is unsafe to enter their premises.

“You never know what or who will jump out of the long grass.

“During the rainy season, stormwater runs through the park into properties, causing damage.

“Some homeowners have sold their properties and left out of frustration because nothing is done to upgrade the dam.”

Isaiah Ramodike, a recycler who lives under the trees, told the GCN there were six of them living under the trees and three others living in the main building.

They did not know who lives in the bigger house adjacent to them.

“The vacant houses have their own occupants and we’ve been told they pay to live there,” he said.

“We’ve heard that the neighbouring house is occupied by drug dealers and criminals and we are suspected to be drug dealers and users.

“I hardly have a place to rest my head; drugs are the last thing on my mind.”

Ramodike has been living in Germiston for 18 years and most of those years have been spent in Weideman Street.

“There was a house here that burnt down a few years ago. Without having anywhere to go, we carried on living here under the trees.”

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The men said they did a few odd jobs to sustain themselves and kept out of harm’s way.

When asked if they knew that the community suspected that they were harbouring criminals and started most of the fires in the area, they admitted to making fires to keep warm and to get rid of some of the rubbish they collected.

“Living here is not easy and we do what we can to move quietly, not to alarm anyone. Just because we are homeless does not make us criminals.”

According to Horn, the terrible state of the dam has caused property values to deteriorate and the area is no longer safe for residents and their children and the little bird life that’s left.

Residents are appealing to the metro to intervene in maintaining the Elsburg/Weideman Dam and the park, to demolish the abandoned buildings in the area and install security measures at the substation on the corner of van Niekerk and Weideman streets.

The GCN contacted the metro for comment, but none was forthcoming at the time of going to press.

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Contact the newsroom by emailing: Melissa Hart (Editor) germistoncitynews@caxton.co.zaor Leigh Hodgson (News Editor) leighh@caxton.co.za or Kgotsofalang Mashilo (journalist) kgotsofalangm@caxton.co.za

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