According to Sue Klingenberg of the Vorna Valley Residents’ Association, this is due to a stolen gate which now allows for access into the wetland.
“The gate was stolen. We are not sure by whom, but the chains and locks are gone as well,” she said.
“It had been left open for cleaning and when Telkom needed to get in.”
Klingenberg admits that the quality of the gate was nothing to be proud of as time had taken its toll.
“It was very old and the railing that it slid along had been previously removed. There was no other way to secure the gate but with chains. The bars that go on top of the gate to secure it down had also been broken,” she said.
The search for a new gate has been difficult.
“We have had to put in an insurance claim for the gate, which apparently will take close to six or eight months [to process]. Our [Ward 112] councillor [Candice James] has said that she is not sure that they will replace the gate.”
However, an anonymous potential donor has made an offer to the association to purchase a new gate to secure the wetland after a plea was put out on their website and newsletter.
Klingenberg said they needed to confirm with the relevant authorities if they can accept the donor’s offer. If so, they would cancel the insurance claim because of the long wait.
“If that does not go through, we’ve also received a donation of secondhand gates, from another Vorna Valley resident, that we will have to modify and put up,” she said.
Fears of the new gate suffering he same fate as the old one are put to rest by Klingenberg, “If a new gate is put in, it will be installed with rails and then locked and chained like the other gates. If installed properly it should be fairly secure.”
