With the start of the new year, Ward 18 Clr Heather Hart announced her plans for 2018.
Hart said this year she feels hopeful.
“We have a new municipal customer relations manager and a new SAPS station commander. Hopefully poor service delivery and crime will reduce,” said Hart.
Hart’s priority is to determine how to assist vagrants to live sustainably in Edenvale.
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Since becoming a ward councillor in 2011, Hart has worked closely with various community role players to assist the homeless.
“The situation is getting critical. We urgently need to assess which vagrants need assistance in order to focus our resources where needed,” Hart said.
In 2017 Hart again worked with community members to assist the homeless in need.
Since then a recycling initiative and a basic education programme have been launched.
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The two projects aim to make vagrants self-sustainable and less reliant on donations from residents.
Besides assisting the homeless, Hart also hopes to have the stormwater master plan revised by the municipality.
Following the 2016 floods, Hart and others have called for greater attenuation in Edenvale.
The flood caused catastrophic damage across the town; Edenvale was one of the hardest hit towns in Ekurhuleni.
Businesses, properties and residents were swept away by the force of the water.
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Hart believes by having greater attenuation in Edenvale, flood damage can be reduced.
“In Meadowdale and Tunney there are a number of attenuation dams which assist in slowing down the flow of water but in Edenvale there is hardly anything,” said Hart.
Other important matters Hart will address in 2018 include:
• Getting Horwood’s Farm and Edenvale Sports Grounds removed from the municipality’s strategic land parcel list.
• Driving the restoration of the Horwood’s Farm homestead which has been vandalised over the years.
• Rehabilitating the Illiondale wetlands and upgrading the Illiondale outfall sewer.
• Finding a solution and use for abandoned properties in the town.
• Working together with the Edenvale SAPS to address the dealing of drugs in the CBD.
• Attending to the Laurie Road service road and seeing it repaired.
“My largest task this year will be juggling the 100s of issues brought to me on a daily basis by community members,” said Hart.
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She challenged residents to keep pressure on the municipality.
“Together we can hold the municipality accountable.
“Edenvale is a great community; the community needs to stand and work together in 2018,” said Hart.
