Dawncliffe Square residents doing it themselves

Poor service delivery or lack thereof has prompted Dawncliffe Square residents in Westville to create a fund meant to pay private service people to clean their neighbourhood. 

Residents said it was obvious that eThekwini Municipality is failing to provide services for ratepayers but that, they said, will not deter them from doing it on their own. 

ALSO READ:  WATCH: Frustrated Westville residents express concern over sewage leak

Seventy-nine homes in the area, some willingly contributing as little as R150, have hired a groundsman to clean the area just over a year ago. The idea was the brainchild of Rori Nossiter, a community activist and a resident in the area. 

Speaking to the Highway Mail recently, Nossiter said they refused to sit back and watch their neighbourhood delipidate.

“It is unfortunate that as ratepayers we must dig in our pockets and pay for something we are already paying for. We are not prepared to live in squalor and let our place degenerate. We live in a beautiful suburb, and we want to try and at least maintain it to a certain standard for the benefit of our families and their wellbeing. Though we are not giving up, the Westville Ratepayers Association and other bodies are busy lobbying and putting pressure on authorities to do their jobs,” said Nossiter. 

This initiative has also been of benefit to Joseph Mngoma who is hired to help the community keep their area clean. Nossiter said Mngoma comes twice a week. 

ALSO READ:  WATCH: Westville naturalist strives to preserve the environment one cycad at a time

He cleans the area; he looks after the gutters and drains to make sure that they are clear. He scrubs and cleans street signs, as well as electricity distribution boxes, he said.

“Apart from our ongoing project, which is to keep our area beautiful, we also have a separate initiative that works to curb crime. We as a community have got together and installed 19 cameras in partnership with a private security company,” he said.

Expressing his gratitude, Mngoma said he works two extra days in a week from working for Nossiter once a week.  

“It is through the Dawncliffe Square’s community that I have been able to make an extra income now that I work extra two days. With the price of everything going up, I am grateful that I am still able to live and provide for my family,” he said. 

ALSO READ:  Westville sewage spill destroys nature

 Dawncliffe Square resident Karen Huxtable said she is proud to be part of a cleaner community. 

“With the lack of services, I am happy that we stood up and did it ourselves as a community. Though it is concerning that we are already paying for these services via rates, we have no choice because we are the residents, and these are our homes,” she said.

The Municipality was not available for comment by the time of publishing this article.

Notice: Coronavirus reporting at Caxton Local Media aims to combat fake news