Property owners in Honeydew are renting out their properties cheaply to shack dwellers and this causes problems as they eventually lose control of their land.
As Ward 97 Councillor Jaco Engelbrecht nears the end of his tenure, he pointed out this problem, among other problems in Honeydew.
Engelbrecht highlighted the increase of shacks in the area, where land owners were cheaply renting out space to shack dwellers and then eventually losing control of their land.
He pointed out Pierre, Glover and Deysel roads that were problematic as some were in bad condition and needed to be repaired.
“There are many people who are living on properties in these areas and have converted the residential area into an informal settlement, which creates problems as the infrastructure to accommodate more people, is lacking,” he said.
Engelbrecht added that this resulted in illegal electricity connections that the dwellers pulled from electricity boxes, and that the area was becoming an eyesore.
He pointed out an incident where a property owner in Magnum Road had to resort to getting an eviction order after his tenants stopped paying rent and allowed the property to become derelict.
“The City is ignoring Zandspruit and now they are ignoring the surrounding areas. The roads in this area are bad and the grass and overlapping trees do not get cut,” Engelbrecht explained.
He noted that the whole area created an image of decay and neglect due to an administration that did not care or had given up caring for the residents in the area.
“I have been promised numerous times that action would be taken, but to date nothing has been done. I would get excited thinking that something would happen but I am always disappointed when nothing does,” Engelbrecht lamented. He pointed out Ndaba Road as another example of neglect. The road has potholes throughout and needed to be resurfaced.
“This road has a few resorts and wedding venues but who wants to drive on a road like this on their wedding day? Neglect of the City affects businesses and the business owners have tried to patch the road with sand but it is only a temporary measure,” he noted.
Related Article:
Zandspruit fire destroys shacks
