Mashaba visits Windsor East
WINDSOR EAST – Homeowners are stripped of their wealth due to City's failure to implement by-laws, says Mashaba.
DA mayoral candidate Herman Mashaba visited Windsor East and is disappointed by the state of the suburb.
Mashaba said that The City of Johannesburg’s failure to implement by-laws to halt crime, slum lords, and drug dealers have effectively stripped Windsor homeowners of their wealth and the value of their homes.
He said that as drug and slum lords have gained a foothold in property developments in Windsor East, hardworking homeowners find themselves owning properties in a fast-decaying suburb.
“The ANC of today, the government in Joburg, has changed. It is no longer the ANC of Nelson Mandela, an ANC that cared for people and for communities,” said Mashaba.
He said that some owners have abandoned their homes, which have now been taken over by opportunistic slumlords who rent out the rooms at exorbitant rates.
“Caretakers have become renowned for renting out hotbeds, where one person sleeps there in the day, and then the bed is taken over by someone who sleeps there in the evenings,” he said. He spoke about buildings that have been hijacked by illegal residents and the entire area being degraded.
Mashaba said that the City is aware of the situation and yet continues to turn a blind eye to the cancer of illegal occupation and the flouting of by-laws. “I find it unconscionable that the City has failed to investigate the by-law transgressions and instead allows its residents’ wealth to be diminished due to the City’s lack of interest and concern,” said Mashaba.
He said that the neglect of law enforcement, and letting communities become slums under this ANC government shows how we need change to move forward again.
Linden Police Sergeant Orden Masupa said that the police do have joint operations with The City of Joburg such as the one on 22 April where they tackled hijacked buildings in Windsor East. “We wait for tips from the residents, we gather information and investigate, then we have raids where we go to these problem areas,” said Masupa. He pointed out that there is a success rate of drug runner arrests and this is with the help of the community and their tip-offs. “The K9 unit and the crime intelligence also play a big role in the cleaning up of Windsor,” said Masupa.
Ward 98 councillor Laurette van Zijl said that she is aware of the problem as she is the one that took Mashaba around Windsor East. “We are trying to keep our heads above water and not let Windsor deteriorate more than it has,” said Van Zijl. She said her ward is trying to keep the area as clean as possible but they have had some delays because of the Pikitup strike. “I am in talks with the city’s expert on hijacked buildings and we are working on addressing the issue further,” she said.
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