The safety of the elderly at Rosehaven Retirement Village in Sandton is a concern, according to their head of maintenance, Simon Eccles.
These vulnerable residents are extremely anxious because a portion of the Rosehaven boundary wall has collapsed and squatters are located just across the wall on the riverbanks.
Eccles said that the portion of the wall collapsed on 17 March as a result of the flooding of the stream which flows through George Lea Park under William Nicol Drive.
Eccles has been in contact with the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) in an attempt to have the wall fixed. The agency’s spokesperson, Bertha Peters-Scheepers has confirmed that the agency’s roads and storm water planning department is aware of the collapsed wall due to the Braamfontein Spruit’s flooding.
Scheepers added, “Fortunately the collapsed wall holds no danger to residents at Rosehaven nor the property itself, and this is a joint responsibility between the City and Rosehaven. We will collaborate on resolving the flooding problems experienced.”
Scheepers further said that the road agency has commissioned a study on the state of the Spruit and the steps required to improve the natural habitat and surrounding infrastructure. She said they anticipate that the study will be completed over the next few months.”
Eccles said, “Rosehaven simply cannot wait weeks or months for the wall to be fixed as the residents here are exceptionally vulnerable. They are particularly anxious because one of our resident’s cottages was broken into and ransacked last year. When the residents see the squatters on the other side of the wall, they get incredibly nervous.”
Ward 90 councillor, Anthony Still said he is aware of the fact that engineers are doing a study in the area. He further added, “It is absolutely crazy that the residents have been told to wait for the wall to be fixed. We are talking about vulnerable, elderly people and the road agency needs to act quickly to sort out this security threat.”
Eccles ended off by saying that barbed wire has been put up as a temporary form of security to put the residents’ minds at ease and that Rosehaven simply does not have the money or resources to rebuild the damaged part of the wall. Furthermore, Eccles stressed that he was was told by the road agency that he is not permitted to do any work on this wall as the National Environmental Management Act and the Water Act does not allow for any work to be done in any environmentally sensitive areas which relates to rivers, streams and wetland areas.
A Sandton Chronicle journalist saw the e-mail correspondents between Eccles and the road agency and can confirm the accuracy of the aforementioned comments regarding these acts. However, the JRA did not permit the journalist to publish information directly from these e-mails.
