Hart gives up on taxi ranks
“I have begged and pleaded with them to put it in their own black plastic bags, but they simply laugh at me. The wash bay at the back of the cooking section is blocked, filthy, smelly and used as a daytime storage space for the bedding and belongings of those who sleep under the shelters at night,” she added.
After years of fighting to have the Edenvale taxi ranks regularly cleaned, ward 18 Councillor Heather Hart has said she has had enough.
“I have quite frankly given up on these ranks. The taxi drivers and operators, the associations and informal traders do not give a damn about anything and it is only the commuters who suffer,” said Clr Hart.
“This is not the first time the conditions of the ranks have been brought to the attention of the transport department,” said Clr Hart.
While she agrees that people have done their best in the past, “There has either been no budget or the people in charge have no clout to achieve anything”.
“The taxi owners and operators continue to do exactly as they please, servicing vehicles, washing vehicles and leaving the resultant rubbish for the cleaner to remove. This includes chicken bones and soiled nappies,” said Clr Hart.
Problems have been reported to the taxi association on numerous occasions but to no avail.
“The informal traders who make food, consistently throw left over food into the disgustingly filthy concrete bins and no amount of effort on the part of cleaners can change this,” said Clr Hart.
“I have begged and pleaded with them to put it in their own black plastic bags, but they simply laugh at me. The wash bay at the back of the cooking section is blocked, filthy, smelly and used as a daytime storage space for the bedding and belongings of those who sleep under the shelters at night,” she added.
In addition to complaints reported of the state inside the taxi ranks, one property owner adjacent to the Eden Mall Taxi Rank has begged the municipality to put a solid wall between the rank and his property.
“This was refused due to there being no budget, as a result the property owner battles to find any decent tenants for this property, resulting in a great loss of earnings to him,” said Clr Hart.
Clr Hart has in the past used funds allocated by council for ward 18 to service the taxi ranks.
“There is a blocked drain at the Eden Mall Taxi Rank which we tried to get unblocked with some of my past CPB funds, but the plumber was unsuccessful, saying heavy duty equipment was needed because the drain is blocked sold with gunk,” she said.
The toilets are regularly blocked because commuters and others are forced to use newspapers and magazines instead of toilet paper.
“No toilet paper is supplied and we are obliged to waste money each time to get them unblocked,” said Clr Hart.
According to Ward 19 Councillor, Clr Bill Rundle, a taxi smashed into the wall of the men’s toilet a year ago.
“This was reported at the time, but nothing has been done to rectify it. Soon another taxi will smash into the wall and it will all collapse. I have no doubt that someone knows which taxi smashed into it some year or so ago, but needless to say, he has escaped scot-free after damaging council property,” said Clr Hart.
“For the past three years I have had an upgrade to this rank and Eastleigh on my IDP. I really do not know why I bother, I could have put something else on it to benefit the actual ratepayers of this town – but this is where the real need is. I am now giving up on these ranks. They can stay dirty cesspools and a testament to a stitch in time saves nine,” said Clr Hart.
An enquiry was send to the brand management and communications department of the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality (EMM) on February 25 for comment by February 27.
At the time of going to print, no comment was received.
