Residents of the beautiful and lively suburb of Emmarentia were in attendance at the Emmarentia Residents Association (ERA) discussed issues currently facing the community at their Annual General Meeting (AGM).
The meeting focused on addressing issues of safety and security, building by-laws and regulations, events and communication within the area. ERA’s executive committee members all shared the progress and challenges their portfolios faced in the last year.
The finance of the association was discussed and treasurer of ERA Brian Askew gave a detailed account. “As of the 28 February the ERA had R314 730.49 in their account with an annual profit of R16 651.55.”
This money was collected through various building assessment income, donations and membership fees. Their expenses in the last year were billed at R82 410.21 and included the Emmarentia Dam rehabilitation project, printing and distributing community newsletters and related building-assessment submissions. He noted that the ERA has managed to increase their balance every year since 2016.
Gemey Abrahams, head of town planning, building plans, and the heritage portfolio acknowledged that building and rezoning is a growing issue in the community.
She asked residents to be on the lookout for land and buildings that are currently in the processes of rezoning. “Pay attention to the white pages stuck all over the place, we need residents to share these so we can challenge things that won’t benefit the area.”
She admitted that objecting to building plans is a lengthy process but yields results when followed through. “Thank you to those that are compliant. Please do not build without approval. Illegally built buildings will be charged penalties by the City of Johannesburg for these acts.”
An issue that has recently angered residents are the persistent power outages they have experienced. To address the matter Ward 88 councillor David Hensman explained, “After the scheduled load-shedding times, City Power has to turn on the power gradually to ensure that all is well. This is why some areas, such as Emmarentia, are still in the dark after the scheduled time.”
He added that the City of Johannesburg has inherited these problems in 2016 and has been dealing with them since then.
Hensman apologised to residents for the electrical issues but stated that as soon as the Roosevelt substation is complete, these problems will be reduced.
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