The first thing you see in Alberton’s CBD
According to Bruna Haipul, this bus station was meant to become a licence renewal drive-trough but it is now used by vagrants.
On tour with alderman Bruna Haipul, the ward councillor for ward 106, we walked through the areas of the Alberton CBD and surrounding areas. According to Haipel, this area should be the jewel of Alberton. However, this is not the case.
The area is run down and the pavements are in a state of disrepair. This despite a budget to repair the Alberton Boulevard which is one of the main roads that serve this area.
These repairs were only meant for a small stretch of the overall road. The state of the pavement is not only unsightly but also dangerous in certain areas.
Other issues in the area include various areas of dumping and people squatting in the area. A prime example is the old bus stop located just off the Ring Road East.
According to Haipel, plans have been proposed to repurpose this building but instead has been left untouched in case the nearby taxi rank needs to expand. This building is now being used by squatters.
All this is taking place less than a kilometer from the local council chambers. The problems in the area also affect the residents directly.
Aged infrastructure has caused residents numerous woes as it takes a long times to repair. We also visited Japie Greyling Street in Alberante where burst water pipes have become an almost weekly occurrence.
The replacement of these pipes has been on the IDP budget for the ward for quite some time.
