KENSINGTON B – Rats the size of cats. Literally. Crawling in and around the multiple heaps of rubbish and filth while looking for whatever scraps of food they can find.
Vagrants and trolleymen occupy the land, and there are even reports that they have exposed themselves to children attending the school across the road from the property, when they bathe themselves with buckets of water.
Members of the Kensington B Resident’s Association have observed the vacant lot of land next to the Randburg Magistrates’ Court decaying with every day that goes by, and have been fighting the issue for eight years already. only to hit a brick wall when it comes to those who own the property – the Department of Public Works (DPW).
“We have put a petition together that has been signed by almost 700 residents in the vicinity,” said Kensington B Resident’s Association (KBRA) member, Arlene Leggat. The association has been working closely with Ward 104 councillor, Mike Wood, to get the problem resolved.
“We are asking that the City of Joburg (local government) and the DPW (national government) actually do what they are required to do according to by-laws and maintain the property.”
The petition requests the DPW to either fence off the entire property, tar the entire property for court parking, or allow KBRA to develop the property into an eco-park for all residents in the suburb to enjoy. Otherwise they must sell it to developers.
“Just don’t leave an abandoned property on our doorstep and expect us to deal with the problems,” concluded Leggat.
DPW spokesperson, Thami Mchunu, has responded to these requests.
“The department has no plans to develop the site in the near future,” stated Mchunu.
“The community is welcome to submit their intention to utilise the site as an eco-park or urban park, the region will forward their submission to our Asset Investment Management unit at head office to consider their application.”
He also stated that the department has removed the vagrants and cleared the site in the past and that they are currently looking at an effective way to secure the property to ensure that vagrants are permanently eliminated from the site.
“A feasibility study will be conducted to find a better way of handling the current situation,” Mchunu concluded.
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