Due to by-laws not being enforced, an elderly Estcourt woman says she has been forced to live the life of a recluse.
Behind closed doors and windows, the resident (who does not want to be named) spends all day and every day in her home in Carnation Crescent for fear of what might appear out of the dense bush surrounding her property.
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On one side is a vacant, privately-owned piece of land and at the back of her home is municipal land.
The grass in both places is over two metres tall and is of grave concern for this elderly resident.
“The danger is that I cannot open any of my doors or windows because of insects, mosquitoes, frogs and even snakes. I now have to live with my windows and doors locked day and night. There was also an incident where someone was trying to break into my house through the back door. I called for assistance, but the person ran into the bush and could not be caught,” said the worried woman.
She claims that she has been persistently calling the municipality to complain about the long grass and request that it be cut.
Neighbours in the area have also reportedly been voicing their concerns regarding this matter to the municipality.
She says her calls were previously answered, but during the past three years, she has had to beg the municipality before resorting to employing a private person to clean the area.
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This week again, the resident’s calls were ignored, so she decided to contact the Estcourt News to publicise her plight.
“The municipality needs to send their staff to clean out this area at least once a year. It is very dangerous as it is,” she reasoned.
In Bougainvillea Avenue, between house number 35 and 37, a resident reports that the grass growth is spiralling out of control. He urges the municipality to attend to this area.
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