The Member of the Mayoral Committee for Economic Development and Ward 97 councillor, Leah Knott, has put up an online petition to get the Province to properly secure a problematic property situated on the corner of John Vorster and Paul Kruger Roads in Radiokop.
The property, on Farm 77, Panorama 200 IQ, has been standing vacant, unmaintained and unsupervised by its owners, the Provincial Government, for a number of years, resulting in it becoming dilapidated.
The petition reads as follows: “Despite R9,5 million being spent on the establishment of a public school on Farm Portion 77 Panorama 200 IQ, the Provincial Government has failed to actually start work. No township application has been submitted to the City of Johannesburg to date, no information pertaining to the alleged Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) application can be located and no site work has commenced.
“The original fencing has been knocked down in several places and the entrance gate has been broken open. The site itself has become a criminal haven for illegal dumping, vagrancy, and illicit use of and dealing in drugs, and items pertaining to several house robberies have been found on this property.
“This petition serves as further support for the ward councillor’s request to the Provincial Government for the proper securing/ enclosing of the property and a detailed progress update with proof of submissions to be given on the establishment of the public school.”
Leah provided a summary of the progress on the public school project, dating from 2015. In the report, Leah has queried the EIA application which the City has no records of in spite of numerous attempts made since 2015 to locate it. The report states further that in 2018, the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) advised that they were finalising the township application and R2,2 million in funding was made available in 2017/18. This was spent on preparatory work.
“To date, R9,5 million has been spent on site establishment and earthworks. The further development of the property has been put on hold due to environmental and township requirements as well as community unrest,” Leah said.
Besides the neglect of the property, Leah explained how the property was a cause of concern to neighbouring properties. “Adjacent to this property is a sports ground owned by the City of Johannesburg and leased by Panorama Football Club. The problem property provides access to the sports ground where children practise and play football every evening and every weekend.”
The children at the soccer club are thus exposed to the undesirable activities taking place on the property, and their well-being is under threat.
To sign the petition, visit the links below:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSesuPfwWjVIgSJqksMCvgGltbyDU_RmzaOYtfN7fdMA25oApw/viewform
https://forms.gle/tqui9WLaYAszcCnB6
