The past two and a half years of hard work, dedication, campaigning and complaining have finally paid off for residents in Monument Park, as the blue wattles and other invasive shrubs surrounding the crime hotspot of the quarry were removed during a clean-up project this week. Working for Water will be maintaining the property for the next 12 months.
The quarry, which is currently private property, will be completely cleaned of these invading plants. The clean-up also means that the property will be exposed, aiding in efforts to police the area effectively. Ward Councillor Bronwyn Engelbrecht told Rekord that the project to cut down the blue wattles functioned as a safety initiative, not only a clean-up.
“For years, residents have been struggling with criminal elements in and around the quarry. The Tshwane metro has done very little to hold the owner of the property accountable. Residents had to bear the brunt of squatters and criminals living on the overgrown terrain. Now, we have a clean area. We can police and patrol this open veld. I am very happy our hard work has paid off,” she said.
Resident Neil Sutherland told Rekord that the clean-up was long overdue. “I have lived in Monument Park for the past 10 years, and because I live close to the quarry, I have had a crime problem. I feel that the criminal elements will move away now. It is not a hideout for them anymore.”
Crime, decreasing property values and continued health risks have tormented the suburbs surrounding the deserted quarry for the past four years. During several public meetings to discuss residents’ options in resolving the continued burden of dealing with this unsightly and unsafe property, legal action against the owner and the metro was considered.
“We need better cooperation from the owner and the metro. I believe that millions in rates and taxes are owed, yet nothing is done by the metro to recover those amounts or to take legal action against the owner for the upkeep and security of his property,” added Engelbrecht.
Meanwhile, the owner of the property, John le Warne, said the property was valued at more than the outstanding rates and taxes owed to the metro and that plans to develop the property as one of the most exclusive estates in Pretoria were still underway. “We are a conglomerate that owns 60% of the property, but without the remaining deeds we cannot develop. There is a legal matter regarding the property and we have been litigating for the past nine years. I do, however, want to stress that development for an exclusive waterfront estate is still on the cards.”
Le Warne denied allegations of squatters and criminals living on the property. “We erected fences around the property to secure it from criminals and squatters. We do not have squatters on the property,” he told Rekord.
