Residents in Laudium and Erasmia are fed up with poor service delivery being received from the local municipality, especially due to the danger it poses to their lives, with some now even taking matters into their own hands to alleviate some of the problems.
Expectations were high after the November 1 local government elections, that service delivery would be a priority of the Tshwane Council, after the DA and ActionSA, together with other smaller political parties, entered into a coalition agreement, to take control of the Council. However, the sight of more potholes, long grass especially at intersections, which poses a danger to both pedestrians and motorists and the ongoing problems of non-functioning street lights, which also poses a security threat in the neighbourhood, are just some of the concerns of many disappointed residents. Clearly, many supporters of these very same political parties who are now in control of the Tshwane Council, are disgruntled, with many being frustrated regarding the poor service delivery of the council and even going further by organising volunteer groups within the community to tackle issues such as the long grass at road intersections which poses a safety risk.
Residents living around the Himalaya Park area, on Himalaya Str, in Extension 2, are also amongst the residents who are complaining of poor service, due to the park not being maintained. A number of residents complained this week to the Laudium Sun about the poor state of the park and the danger it poses to both them and their children. Muhammed Abdul Rozoh (18) of Himalaya Str, who said that he grew up in the area and used to play as a young kid in the park, complained, “Comparing how the state of the park looks now as to what it looked like back then, it has changed for the worse. As a child growing up in the area, the park was a place for me, my friends and family to either play after school or go for afternoon walks, or just to meet up and chill.”
Muhammed also told the Laudium Sun, “Not only is the grass long, and the place in general not being maintained, but the park is now seen as a place for criminal activity. Many people I know, living in the area, got robbed either at knifepoint or at gunpoint when they either walked in the park, or were attacked near the park by criminals who hide in the park watching their moves and then pounce on them. The park used to have small railings surrounding the play areas, but even these have now been stolen. Ask anyone who stays here in the area, for as long as I have. The Himalaya Street Park used to be a beautiful place for families to get together, but now that the grass is so long and the park is not being maintained, it is seen as a place to stay away from, as a lot of people are being robbed there. Before the council workers used to come out to cut the grass, although not very often, but for the past few months even they have not showed up.”
Niresh Mooloo, of Lotus Gardens said that he recently came to visit his grandparents living on Himalaya Str and was surprised to find the condition of the park in such a poor state, “I used to like sitting in the park with my family, when we all stayed here together, but now that I have come here today, it’s upsetting to see that the grass is so long and the park has not been maintained.”
