‘We might as well hit our heads against a brick wall’
A peek under the surface of the suburb revealed it was riddled by malaise - illegal communal homes, violence in public, underage drinking, urinating on government property and inebriated men exposing their private parts when confronted by residents.
Dejected, hopeless and frustrated.
The residents of Barry Hertzog Park are up in arms and there is allegedly no going back.
In response to the last story on our Facebook page, Peggy Steele Botha wrote,
“It will forever be unsolved because the Mayor and his officials are not interested in doing their job; they are only interested in collecting their huge salaries every month. How many times have I complained about illegal tuck shops and buildings being built without plans? It’s months ago and no action has been taken. We might as well hit our heads against a brick wall.”
Seventy days and counting. The municipality has still failed to respond to a media enquiry sent on November 7, 2014.
Numerous phone calls led to officials within the municipality giving a resolution the run-around.
As temperatures continue to rise day by day, it is unclear whether or not residents will even accept any resolution offered to them at this stage.
A peek under the surface of the suburb revealed it was riddled by malaise – illegal communal homes, violence in public, underage drinking, urinating on government property and inebriated men exposing their private parts when confronted by residents.
“The communes are filling up like knots again. Yesterday, a young woman was standing outside a yard without nothing on but a towel, having a conversation with her friend,” alleged a resident. “One of my friends built a carport that bordered on his fence. The municipality gave him a warning and he had to take it down. Here in Barry Hertzog Park, the people do what they want; by-laws don’t apply to them.”
The resident further claimed motorists were forced to drive around students who walk ‘five abreast’ in the middle of the road, without a shred of consideration.
“The sewage is running down the road again and our municipality is doing what it is good at – nothing,” he claimed.
“I’m sure if the Mayor had sewage running down his street, rowdy neighbours who litter worse than pigs, or dogs barking around the neighbourhood because of children roaming the streets drunk until 3 am, he would do something about it.”
The cracks have begun to show; an ugly truth is being revealed and residents are adamant that without acknowledging the problem, no resolution could possibly be reached.
However, residents of Barry Hertzog Park believe they are waiting in vain as the municipality continues to keep mum.
