Sundowner residents are up in arms at the ongoing degradation of the Sundowner Spruit which went from a natural beauty to an eyesore.
This is being caused by alien trees and debris in the middle of the river which diverts the flow of water and erodes the spruit’s banks. Some of the debris lands up in the Sundowner Park and Dam causing it to resemble a swamp.
Members of the Sundowner Residents Association fork out their own money to maintain the park.
Association member Dirk Schöttlersorts and Robin Linton, chairperson of park Village Complex have been frustrated by the lack of action from the municipality and they fear the erosion of the spruit’s banks will affect the houses closest to the river.
“We had a petition going around to get the park restored to its previous state but we have received no feedback,” said Schöttlersorts.
“Not only is the park unsightly… but it has now become a danger. We used to walk our dogs and enjoy the scenery but now we can’t do that. It has been getting worse for the last five years and nothing has been done about it. Eva and Gunter Tinnerfeld are just some of the residents who have helped.”
Linton added that his residential complex was situated on one side of the river and the erosion has been creeping closer to the perimeter wall.
“City Parks has allowed invasive species such as the black wattle and Mimosa pigra to grow near and in the river, which has caused such extensive damage,” said Linton.
“The river bank is now a metre away from the wall and things will only get worse without help.”
Linton has been tracking the progress of the erosion since 2013. “I have recommended that the area be cordoned off. It is dangerous, especially for the kids who play in the area. If the banks give way, somebody could end up with broken limbs from a steep fall.
“The issue currently is not that the water stream is eroding the bank. It is the banks themselves that collapse from the rainwater. One can see the cracks develop and then know that another section is going to collapse. A lot of the top is just grass with nothing underneath to hold it up.”
Johannesburg Roads Agency spokesperson Bertha Pieters-Scheepers said there was currently a R61,2-billion backlog that is required to address dams, rivers and catchments as well as storm-water drainage in the city.
“We are aware of the issue of Sundowner Spruit’s erosion,” she said.
“It was prioritised in 2011 as a medium priority three project, where properties are at stake, however, life and limb are not currently at risk, and we are aware of the erosion that is creeping up to the properties, as well as the silt levels in the Sundowner Dam.”
She added that, currently, the agency is attending to Level 1 priorities which are deemed emergencies, and where life, limb and property are at risk.
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