Gnats and bees terrorize residents in Westbrook
The plot on Acacia Crescent, next to the Westbrook retirement village, has not been cleared for over a year
An overgrown vacant plot in Westbrook has become home to swarms of bees and gnats that are terrorizing the neighbours.
The plot on Acacia Crescent, next to the Westbrook retirement village, has not been cleared for over a year.
One of the residents at the Westbrook Retirement Village, Cecilia Loreck (70), said she had spent what little money she had on airtime in an attempt to get the eThekweni Metro to have the plot cleared after she had been badly bitten by gnats.
“The gnats are all over my house and they have bitten me to the point where my skin is actually tearing off from scratching. I have reported the problem to councillor Geoff Pullan and to the Metro, but nothing has been done. The plot was cleared once last year and never again.”
About two months ago, a swarm of bees from the plot stung a neighbour’s family dog to death.
https://www.citizen.co.za/north-coast-courier/84106/westbrook-dog-killed-bees/
They have also asked for the plot to be cleared, without success.
“We have contacted the councillor and the parks and recreation department. We were told by the department that we were on a waiting list. The bees could have stung our children or even gone through to the retirement village had we not had them removed. You would think that since this is a safety concern, something would be done faster,” said the owner of the dog, Jessica Vandayar.
DA Westbrook councillor Geoff Pullan said he had emailed eThekweni Metro and was waiting on them to take action.
“It is not known who the plot belongs to and this makes the issue slightly difficult. The Metro had cleared the land before and billed the owner. I have been in contact with the Metro and the relevant departments and I will keep trying.
“What also becomes a concern is that if the plot is cleared out properly, it could attract squatters to build shacks in the space. We have to consider all outcomes but at the moment we are waiting on the Metro.”
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