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Bush-like areas in the Johannesburg north-eastern suburbs worrisome

LYNDHURST – 'The City of Johannesburg should have a schedule to do this on a regular basis.'


There has been no grass cutting, tree trimming or even skoffeling in the Johannesburg north-eastern suburbs this year, according to Ward 81 councillor Irene Rugheimer.

She said with all the rain experienced this year, the grass and trees have grown rapidly in the suburbs.

“Bushes and trees are overgrown and hanging into the roads,” claimed Rugheimer.

“We have [trees on] main roads which have not been cut at all this year. Crossings have become dangerous as motorists cannot see oncoming traffic like on the corner of Power and Wordsworth roads in Corlett Gardens. The grass cutting, tree trimming and skoffeling has been slack this year.”

The main roads include Pretoria Road through to Johannesburg Road (Lyndhurst), Wordsworth Road through to 9th Road (Rembrandt Park to Kew), Sheridan Road (Rembrandt Park to Riverpark), Shakespeare Road (Lombardy East) and East Road (Lombardy West).

“There is no service delivery and some residents maintain that I don’t report their complaints of non-service delivery while those who have been copied on my emails in this regard feel that the City [of Johannesburg] is not concerned with their issues.

“Many residents themselves have reported the lack of grass cutting, tree trimming and skoffeling but to no avail, and they feel that only a petition may resolve their issue – why is this necessary?” she asked.

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Rugheimer added that residents should not even have to report grass cutting as the department should have a schedule to do it on a regular basis.

Jenny Moodley, the spokesperson for City Parks and Zoo, the utility responsible for parks and recreational spaces in the city, said they did have schedules for their work on a weekly and monthly basis.

Moodley, however, said some of the work that Rugheimer identified such as skoffeling was not part of their functions in residential areas.

“City Parks and Zoo mostly service parks and not sidewalks within the residential areas, instead that is the function of JRA [Johannesburg Roads Agency] and not City Parks,” she added.

“Some of the open spaces you may even find that they are privately owned and the City has no jurisdiction in servicing that land.”

Moodley urged the community to contact Joburg Connect for information on the land in question.

Details: Joburg Connect 011 375 5911.

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