Time to change your perspective

This past long weekend, my husband and I spent some time with friends living on the East Rand.

While my husband was driving, I noticed a number of things that made me a bit uncomfortable about this specific area. I immediately wondered how people can live like this.

Before I give my reasons for feeling this way, I just want to state that I am not going to say where in the East Rand this specific area is, because I do not want to name and shame the place. I do, however, realise that each area has its own specific set of problems, and Krugersdorp should not be excluded. But this area is just terrible.

For one, you can barely drive on the roads because of the huge potholes everywhere, not to mention the traffic lights that have been knocked down, therefore you have to figure out how to cross the road safely. Furthermore, litter decorates every intersection, every open field and every public area … the general lack of pride is very disheartening. Once you venture into the suburbs, things start looking up though.

You’re probably wondering why I felt uncomfortable. Probably because where I live, which is in Krugersdorp of course, things are not bad … at all.

Our grass might be overgrown a bit here and there, but most of the time, we keep our streets and public spaces clean. Yes, we do have a few problem areas, but nothing compared to what it looks like in that specific area.

Upon driving home, and reaching Krugersdorp, I immediately felt a sense of relief. I was happy to be home.

I know we all complain about the lack of service delivery here in our town, but perhaps to gain some perspective, you should take a drive through some of our neighbouring towns and then you will realise that we have a lot to be thankful for.

It certainly changed the way I feel.

Keep it clean Krugersdorp, until next week.