Bloubosrand gate cut down
BLOUBOSRAND – Bloubosrand residents have put a gate back into place on Rooikrans Road after it was cut down on the morning of 21 February.
Bloubosrand residents were startled when they woke up on 21 February to find that the gate they had erected on Rooikrans Road had been cut down.
Concerned resident John More said that some residents of the Kya Sand informal settlement and Bridgetown were allegedly threatening to cut down the gate at 5am.
“At 5am we were to open the pedestrian gate, but they continued to cut down the gate. We feel that they are trying to incite us to react negatively,” he said.
According to More, a senior community leader sent a WhatsApp voice note that circulated in the community to order the cutting down of the gate.
The residents repaired the gate as fast as they could and reinforced it with extra welding spots.
Some altercations occurred with Kya Sand community members who were opposed to the erection of the gate.
Kya Sand resident Daphne Neta was highly vocal in her opposition.
She said, “It is a highly long distance for me to walk, and it adds almost 40 minutes to my journey. I also feel unsafe. The people that put up the gate can afford cars and money for taxis, but we have to suffer. If people are not happy in this area, they should move. Crime is everywhere and it does not only affect their community.
“I saw a man yesterday who walks on crutches who said he used to walk through Bloubosrand to Bridgetown, now he has to walk like that all the way around. This is not on. It would be fine if they had security manned at the gate to allow pedestrians through.”
Some Bloubosrand residents have also complained on Facebook community groups about the increased flow of traffic in the suburb, as well as questioning the legality of the structure.
The Randburg Sun has reached out to the Johannesburg Roads Agency and is awaiting their reply.
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