Overgrown vegetation in Germiston raise safety concerns

The open land between A G De Witt Drive and Townsend Road has sparked safety concerns among residents.

With the constant lack of maintenance, grass cutting and clearing, Ward 20 Clr Jill Humphreys said the dire state of this site was a massive fire hazard and a security threat.

Nearly 90% of the uneven terrain is overrun by alien invader species.

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According to Humphreys, more than one department is responsible for maintaining this property.

She said instead of urgently addressing the matter department officials are pointing fingers at each other.

The Meridian Complex manager Walter Smith, echoed Humphreys’ concerns, describing the situation as critical for the past five years.

Previously the site was maintained by the parks department.

“We are forced to pay our garden services to cut for us around our premises.

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“There have been two major fires in the past because of this neglected open space.

“The overgrown vegetation poses significant fire hazards and safety risks for residents and visitors surrounding this site,” said Smith.

Humphreys has proposed a solution to leverage the expertise of emergency services to conduct controlled burns.

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“We can burn the reeds and this grass, while emergency services are on site to make it safe for the houses around the area. It won’t be simple, but it will be a lot easier than cutting by hand through all of this.

“We are also going to need a bulldozer as the terrain is uneven to clear all of this,” explained Humphreys.

The City of Ekurhuleni had not commented by the time of going to print.