REIGER PARK- Residents live in despair

As part of the Boksburg Advertiser’s Suburb Watch, our team zoomed in on Reiger Park to learn the good, the bad and the ugly.

The bad and the ugly
Regina Kivido of the township’s Galeview section, who spoke of her frustration about the widespread illegal dumping, pointed out that one of these eyesores is right on her doorstep, on the corner of John Collins and Buttercup streets.

“We are forced to put up with a terrible smell and an infestation of flies and rats because people dump all sorts of rubbish here.
“Even when I burn the waste, within hours the whole area is again covered in rubbish. People say they have no other place to dump because the mini dump site just around the corner is full and closed.”
Kivido pointed out that unemployment among the youth is rife in the area, claiming youngsters, some with matric and trade qualifications, are roaming the streets all day.
She acknowledged that the youth in the area was recently invited to register for jobs, but she feels like this is just one of the electioneering gimmicks and that after the elections their community will be left in limbo again.

One of the township’s senior citizens, widowed Ragel van Rensburg (64), who is among the many residents living in abject poverty in shacks, said she has been waiting for a promised RDP house for decades.

Van Rensburg, who shares a two-room shack with her daughter and grandchildren in the Joe Slovo informal settlement, said she and her late husband have been living in the informal settlement for over 20 years, waiting for the government to build their family a dignified home.
This is after approval of their application at the then housing department.

“We have been following up for years, going to the government offices to check on the status of our application, and are told that we are on the waiting list. Yes, more than 20 years later, we are still waiting.
“We all hoped the government would allocate us a house so that we could raise our children in a warm and comfortable home, but things did not work out the way we had hoped. My husband died last year without realising the dream of a proper home with access to clean running water, electricity and sanitation.”

The pensioner, who uses a wheelchair due to an ankle sprain, lamented the difficulties of living in a shack without electricity and running water.
While other people in the informal settlement have illegal connections, Van Rensburg’s shack has no electricity.

“Living in a shack with children for more than 20 years has not been easy.
“Every time when elections are coming up, they come here and give us new stand numbers and promise us proper houses, but as soon as the elections are over, we never see them again.”

Many years have passed, and despite all the disappointments, she is still hoping that one day the government will remember and hand her the keys to a warm and comfortable home.
“I may be old, but it would still make a difference to my family and even make my last years on earth easier.
Her children and grandchildren rely heavily on social grants. Van Rensburg said if he were to be given an opportunity to speak to the mayor or president, she would plead for a home that is safe for her family and fellow residents.

Levert Hector (30) said due to unemployment and lack of support from the government, poverty has forced him and eight other residents to turn a dilapidated public toilet at the Reiger Park taxi rank into their home.

“We struggled for a long time to find decent jobs and proper accommodation. We can’t afford to pay rent because we only survive with the little we get from collecting recyclable materials to sell to the recycling companies and scrap yards,” he said.
His friend, a semi-skilled electrician, Christopher Goliath (34), said he has been looking for a job since he qualified at St Anthony’s Training Centre many years ago, but he is still unemployed.

A community leader who runs a family butchery in the township, Danny Cassell, pointed out that lack of service delivery, poor policing, drugs and alcohol abuse, unemployment, a shortage of educational facilities, especially high schools to cater for Reiger Park and surrounding townships, as well as the densely populated informal settlements are the major issues in the area.

“For example, the two high schools are battling to cope because they must admit children from all four primary schools, as well as children from as far as Vosloorus and Katlehong. We need more high schools,” said Cassell.
The good
Cassell said despite the gloom and doom, there are still positive things that make him proud of his community.

“I feel that we are fortunate that our area boasts several sporting facilities including the two big stadiums Reiger Park Sports Arena and WJ Clement Stadium.
“We also have a public swimming pool that the youngsters enjoy using.
“Despite the gangsterism related deadly shootings, drugs problem and other social ills, our community still remain a really close-knit community that when something bad befalls a family fellow residents show support and sympathy for the victims.”

Also Read: SUBURB WATCH: SUNWARD PARK: Little action is taken

In the build-up to the elections on May 29, Boksburg Advertiser will be taking a closer look at “the good, the bad and the ugly” in some of our suburbs. Tell us what’s going on in your suburb! Email boksburgadvertiser@caxton.co.za with details and photos/videos.