Corrie residents voice their grievances during oversight committee visit
The residents raised a number of concerns which the councillor promised would be addressed by City entities
On May 9, the Speaker of the Johannesburg Council, councillor Vasco da Gama, visited Wards 69 and 82 with Chief Whip of Council, councillor Kevin Wax, the Chair of Chairs, councillor Alex Christians, a number of councillors and several chairpersons of Section 79 oversight committees to conduct a visit in the two wards.
The purpose of the visit was to verify the countless complaints from residents regarding the deteriorating state of infrastructure in Westbury and surrounding areas, especially the flats. During the oversight visit, there were very specific issues that were addressed to the leaders and officials of the City of Johannesburg. The following issues were taken note of by da Gama:
– Maxwell Court – water disconnections, drug dealers, no street lights, crime.
– Joe Slovo Informal Settlement – Illegal electricity connections, blocked drains, environmental risk- rodents, crime, sanitation, housing and noise pollution by taverns.
– Coronationville residents complained about illegal taverns without liquor license at the Joe Slovo Informal Settlement.
– Waterval – Steytler Street: Housing Issues, dilapidated flats, Illegal dumping.
– Mac Millan Street – potholes, no grass cutting, housing, no recreation and sports facilities.
– George Flats, Westbury Ext 2 – housing, potholes, poor road surfaces, refuse removal, crime, street lights.
– Ward 82, Claremont – Lolly lounges, housing shortages, crime, prostitution, aged infrastructure.
– David Flats, Krechmar Street – poor living conditions, no water, no grass cutting, overcrowded one-bedroom flats, inadequate housing.
– Ward 68 complaints about the elderly citizens paying from their monthly pensions for grass cutting in their complex, no service delivery at Chiswick Old Age Village, Klavier Street, crime and poor living conditions. Westbury flats not maintained for the past 22 years, unstable staircases, asbestos structures causing safety hazard, leaks, poor refuse removal, crime and rodents. Pavements are not paved, no lights working, no street lights working.
The visit in Coronationville was joined by ward councillor Genevieve Sherman as residents from Coronationville and Slovo informal settlement waited for the Speaker to address them. The two main issues that were discussed was the illegal tavern in the informal settlement which causes many sleepless nights for residents.
The illegal tavern also affects the church across the road which cannot hold services due to the racket which comes from the camp. The second issue was the illegal connections. A resident in the crowd said that the illegal connections look like washing lines and that if they were to snap, anyone who found themselves underneath it would surely die.
Sherman, along with the Speaker, addressed half of the committee of the Slovo informal settlement and the Coronationville Secondary School principal, Floyd Billings also voiced his concerns about the cables being joined to the schoolyard. The Speaker assured the residents that funds has been set aside to deal with the issue and that they could look forward to the issue being resolved.
Da Gama and the Speaker requested the speedy intervention of City entities to all the concerns raised by the residents.
