Michael John van Molendorf from Germiston is calling on the municipality to intervene regarding the unlawfulness in his neighbouhood.
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Molendorf lives in Germiston on Crown Road and he shared his frustration about illegal dumping and unlawfulness on his street.
He lived on Kingross Street for 15 years and later moved to Crown Road about four years ago.
He said since, moving to Crown Road he has witnessed “total chaos in the neighbourhood” that he now calls home.
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“The road is a one-way street and people still use it as a two-way road. Last year I witnessed a child being knocked by a car.
“I often see people come here to dump their rubbish in the bushes opposite of my property,” said Van Molendorf.
“Recently I saw three guys rolling wheelie bins at night and I stopped them. Upon questioning them they said its not my business,” he said.
“There is plastic rubbish opposite my front gate that have been there since last year. Because of my health I cannot pick up the bags to take the truck like I used to before.
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“I previously placed my rubbish bags into the trucks myself as they only collected bins,” said Van Molendorf.
He said in December he joined other tenants as they went on a mission to clean the entire road and remove weeds from pavements.
“The problem continues to persist and more rubbish is being dumped. The problem is that there is a lot of rental houses around and when their bins get full they empty them here.
“If the municipality is eager to find these culprits they should check the refuse bags. They may find bills that can lead to the exact address where the refuse is coming from. They should be issued with fines,” said Van Molendorf.
“The rubbish becomes a breeding ground for rodents. I’ve actually killed 45 rats in the past couple of months,” said Van Molendorf.
He said the road is dangerous with cars speeding on a one-way road.
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“At the Angus Street T-junction that runs into Crown Road and George Street, there is a sign which indicates that it is a one-way road. There is a tree there that is overgrown and obscures the sign. The municipality must cut it down.
“The streets are dark at night because there is no street lights working. People drink in public and start arguing or fighting. People also urinate in public,” said Van Molendorf.
Van Molendorf said he contacted customer care centre.
“The woman who answered the call refused to give her name and when I asked who is the ward councillor for the area she hung up the phone,” said Van Molendorf.
The GCN requested comment from the City of Ekurhuleni by February 10 at 13:00. The CoE spokesperson Zweli Dlamini said refuse is collected on a weekly basis around Germiston.
No further comment was received at the time of going to print.
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