This year marks the eighth year that the community of Appel Park together with DA Ward Councillor Jakkie Naudé have been calling on Mogale City Local Municipality to take responsibility for a decaying property in their neighbourhood.
The property – a municipal-owned home – burned down in a fire caused by a petrol bomb eight years ago.
Since then the property and what is left of the house have become a dumping site and a home to vagrants.
“One or two refuse bags on the lawn became a scrap yard for old furniture and rotting food. It has reached a point where residents from the neighbouring properties’ view is totally obstructed by waste,” says Naudé.
During their umpteenth visit to the site recently residents in the area told the news that the issue is compromising their health.
The stench of rotten food and nappies and the sound of buzzing flies are overwhelming.
In eight years the run-down building and the illegal dumping site have not reached Mogale City’s priority list but according to Naudé it would not take much to solve the issue.
“Mogale City needs to decide whether they want to demolish or rebuild the house, and get municipal workers to act,” he says.
Yet until now they neither have put their intentions with the house to paper nor communicated it to residents.
The news contacted Mogale City communications specialist, Nkosana Zali five years ago for comment on the issue and made a second attempt recently but no response has been forthcoming as yet.
