Monument Road issues still unresolved
The businesses on Monument Road pay additional rates and taxes to have business rights.
Business owners on Monument Road said the slew of issues at the Monument Road and Witgatboom Street intersection remain unresolved.
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After a report on the front page of the Express’ March 9 edition, not much was done to rectify the issues on a crucial part of Monument Road.
In the initial report, resident Mark Lodder highlighted several of his concerns.
These included a large water leak in Action Park, stolen cables in the same area, street lights not working on a section of Monument Road and all the lights on Witgatboom Avenue and a manhole cover that doesn’t fit.
“After being stolen, it took months to get the manhole cover replaced, but it doesn’t fit correctly.”
Lodder said the poorly fitting cover is easily displaced when trucks and vehicles turn into Monument Road. It is a hazard to pedestrians and vehicles.
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There is also a water leak under the road near the intersection of Witgatboom Avenue and Monument Road.
The lack of lighting on Witgatboom Avenue and Monument Road saw an increase in crime in the area.
Lodder had spent more than R22 000 to secure his property from criminals.
“Every time we report the streetlights, we are told they are not a priority, but the safety of my family is my priority,” he said.
Last November, a water pipe outside Lodder’s property burst.
“It was reported and fixed the same day, but the hole was not filled. When I questioned this, I was told it must stay open for 14 days before it can be filled.
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“About 21 days after the pipe was repaired, a car came around the corner, clipped the rubble and drove into the still unfilled hole, breaking it again.
“The pipe was repaired again the next day. Only at the end of January did a team arrive to backfill the repair,” Lodder said.
When the Express visited the area recently to meet with business owners John Streicher and Blacky Swart, the area where the November leak was still not rehabilitated.
Additionally, while the underground water leak was repaired shortly after the March 9 report, the area still needed rehabilitation.
Streicher said the businesses on Monument Road pay additional rates and taxes to have business rights.
“I pay R11 000 a month extra on my rates and taxes but see no extra value for what I pay,” he said.
“Monument Road is one of the busiest roads in Kempton Park, but there are no lights on this section of road.”
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Two weeks ago, Streicher again had to replace his solar lighting after it was stolen in the dead of night.
He blamed the still unrepaired streetlights for allowing criminals the chance to steal his lights.
“Large trucks use Monument Road as a thoroughfare. There is no law enforcement to stop this.”
Swart said vagrants sleep on the shop fronts and leave a mess for the business owners to clean up.
“The park is a big problem. It’s often unmaintained and used by vagrants who set up temporary homes and start fires.
“We pay a litter picking fee of R187 monthly on our municipal accounts but never see municipal litter pickers in the area,” added Streicher.
“We always pick up condom wrappers, toilet paper and drug paraphernalia.
“It feels like we are paying for something we don’t get. Something is very wrong.
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“Of the rates and taxes I pay every month, half is for business rights, but we have to take the clean-up of our area into our own hands.
“We had to clean up the mess when the city planted acacia seeds on the median and never bothered to maintain the trees. They grew 1m into the road before we removed them and planted other plants.
“We paid for the new plants and organised the labour to plant them.
“Ekurhuleni is using us as milking cows.”
The Express sent another enquiry to the CoE last week, asking that their comments be received by April 24.
At the time of going to print, no comment was received.
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