I would like to thank you for publishing my letter and both your reply and André Brink’s letter that was published in this week’s Record.
However, there is a lot of misinformation in his reply to me and I would like to correct it so that other people can know the truth about everything.
Firstly, he stated that not very long ago, the entire water channel was cleared, from Hamberg Dam right down to Hamerkop Sanctuary, and that he witnessed this himself. Now, if all this was done and the water was now flowing freely then there would not be any need for me to complain about anything at all. I have been living in this area for over eight years, and nothing has ever been done at all to sort this mess out.
Secondly, at the western entrance to the sanctuary by the pedestrian bridge, the flow of water has been stopped by all the branches and logs from the trees and other rubbish that is lying there. As a result the water has become stagnant and turned a dark green and the small green plants in the water have virtually covered all the water. The JRA only cleared about 20 metres and did a very halfhearted job of doing it. The muck that they scooped out was dumped on the side and not taken away.
Oh yes! The grass burnt, not only in the sanctuary but also across the other side of Potgieter Street and that was all.
Now let us turn to the inside of the sanctuary and what do we find there? If you stand on the bridge and look in you will find that there is still a large amount of rubbish not only in the water but also hanging in the trees.
Then he goes on further in his letter to state that he invites anyone to visit the park to see what has been done and how clean it is. But, I can just imagine what their reactions will be when they see what a state it is still in and what their replies to him will be.
If all was done just like he said, then he must be able to tell us exactly what fertiliser he used to let it get back into this state in just a few months. All that I can say is that he is talking utter nonsense/ fertiliser about what is supposed to have been done. I cordially invite you to come down to see for yourselves just who is talking the truth about the whole matter.
Finally, let it be known that I have already contacted the [Department of] Environmental Health to also come and see it.
