Overgrowth thrives in neglected Sydenham

SYDENHAM residents are concerned the area is being sidelined by the municipality, saying complaints of overgrown verges and illegal dumping have fallen on deaf ears and have received no response from the city on any issues raised.

Resident,Samantha Jones said it has been 'an eternity' since the verges on her street were cut. ” At present, the grass is so high that boundary walls are practically invisible, roads are hazardous to drive on and danger lurks in the bushes. None of this appears to of any concern to city officials.” she said.

“I’ve contacted the municipality's illegal dumping department about dumping taking place in the vacant land below the Kenilworth cemetery and have yet to see anything done about that problem. I have also contacted the Department for Parks, Leisure and Cemeteries to assist with the overgrown verges, trees and bushes on our street, but this department told me I needed to phone someone else. I insisted that they take care of the problem and despite leaving my details and the name of the streets that needed attention, no one has been to sort out the problems,” she said.

Of greater concern, according to Jones, is the danger that lurks in the overgrowth which is a hazard to motorists and could be a contributing factor to a school child being knocked down. She said the bush also provided cover for criminals and she feared someone could be surprised and attacked by criminals hiding in the bush. She feared it would take incidents like these to prompt the city to take action.

“The long grass is causing a problem on the corner of Villa and Kenilworth Roads as you have to inch forward until you are in the middle of the road before you are able to see the cars that are coming up the hill. The bush growing onto the road in Meadow Road means that traffic going down the hill has to swerve into the lane on the opposite side of the road and you just hope that there isn’t another vehicle coming towards you. Also, the school children are now forced to walk in the middle of the road because the pavement is completely overgrown. The area is becoming very unsafe as unsavoury characters are now able to hide in the long grass and bush and accost female and elderly residents who are walking home from work or walking to the shops,” she said.

Jones said she felt the area was being forgotten. She said she drove through different areas of the city every day and none of them had bush and grass that has grown to the heights as seen in Sydenham.

“Not even the Cato Manor squatter camp area looks like this. I work in Umhlanga and on my drive to work after leaving our area I pass Riverside, Durban North, La Lucia and finally Umhlang. Despite the municipality not renewing the services of grass cutters in KZN, the verges in these areas are all in immaculate condition! Unfortunately, we don't have any extra money to pay for services that we already pay for and should be receiving! What are we paying rates and taxes for and why do we vote for municipal officials when we can’t even get the grass cut in our area?” she said.

Jones said she had contacted ward councillor, Jethro Lefevre, to ask for assistance and he advised her that the city had not renewed contracts for these service providers, and as such there wasn’t anything he could do about it.

Councillor Lefevre said he was equally frustrated by the issues raised by Jones, and said residents needed to realise councillors had no control over service delivery.

“Residents do not understand the procedures and nor do they realise that it is impossible for me as the councillor to instruct officials. In the north of Durban they have UIPs which cost the ratepayers an extra 10 per cent on their rates, and those UIPs take care of anything the city isn't, like beggars and verges. I have begged and pleaded for assistance from the city,” he said.

A representative from the Parks, Leisure and Cemeteries Department said the department had cut all verges in all 103 wards across the City three times this year, ending on 31 March.

“The appointment of new contracts to undertake the grass cutting of unmaintained verges and the weed spraying throughout the City has experienced delays in the awarding of the new contracts, thus, I do agree that there has been some delay in being able to provide a service in all wards. All the wards should see the contractors on site in the next two weeks. If some verges are being cut and others not, that is out of the home or business owners' own volition, not due to any special contract,” she said.

“With reference to trees which need pruning or are on the verge causing a problem, these complaints need to be sent to the Complaints Management System for recording purposes on 031 322 4000. On the positive side, the awarding of new contracts is valid for the next three years, so there should be no further delays in service delivery for that time,” she said.