Venterspos residents fed up with municipal issues

Venterspos resident Wessel Amiel Kleynhans along with many others in the Westonaria community are fed up with constant sewage spills and the lack of working streetlights in residential areas.

According to Kleynhans, sewage spills are flooding domestic lawns as well as streets. He claims that some utility holes do not have plates to cover them. As mentioned by Kleynhans, this does not only affect the community personally but it is also affecting businesses. One of the streets that is currently flooded with wastewater has a tuck shop occupying the corner and Kleynhans stated that no one wants to do business with the tuck shop since the smell is too overwhelming.

“One of the streets is flooded to such an extent that the smell makes the area almost unlivable,” Kleynhans added.

The sewage spills are not the community’s only concern. Non-functional streetlights supposedly increase the possible chance of crime. Kleynhans said that multiple houses are spread far apart and there is no way of knowing if a person is hiding in bushes when there are no lights on. As explained by Kleynhans, the areas get extremely dark. He also added that the swings at one of the parks were stolen because of the lack of functioning streetlights.

“It cannot go on like this. The residents’ safety is on the line. Especially since the festive month is approaching. Crime is much more likely,” he spoke out.

He also stated that the infrastructure of the roads is substandard, adding that trees are starting to grow on the road and some roads do not have tar on the surface anymore.

Kleynhans expressed that nothing gets done about the matter, even though the community has laid multiple complaints. He said it feels as though the people of Venterspos are being disregarded and forgotten.

A media briefing that took place on 27 October addressed the concerns of sewage leaks and non-functional streetlights. Rand West City Local Municipality Executive Mayor William Mathafeng Matsheke stated that solutions for these problems will be found and the issue will be resolved.

Tshidiso Tlharipe, the spokesperson to the Executive Mayor, said that the matter will be escalated to the relevant department for speedy intervention.