State of wetland area in The Reeds a concern for residents
“This area has been neglected for years now. The metro hands out notices to residents to keep their properties clean, but it should sweep in front of its own door as well,” said Prigge.
Residents from The Reeds in Centurion, were not happy about the state of the spruit in the area.
For the past 44 years, Ulrich Prigge and Faan Strauss have been neighbours in Morkel Street. They, among others in their community, are concerned about the current state of the wetlands area around the spruit, adjacent to Morkel Street.
“This area has been neglected for years now. The metro hands out notices to residents to keep their properties clean, but it should sweep in front of its own door as well,” said Prigge.
“With such large, overgrown areas in neighbourhoods, community members always encounter various problems,” he said.
Not only is it a eyesore in the neighbourhood, but it also always attracts criminal elements.
“The footpath allows for easy access to and from the neighbourhood, with a lot of hiding spots. Especially theft, vandalism and illegal rubbish dumping occurs,” he said.
“In the past,” said Strauss, “before Brakfontein Road connected with Olievenhoutbosch Road, our community raised funds to erect palisades with barbed wire here. But the fence gets cut time and time again as soon as it gets repaired, often by a member of the community.”
Strauss said construction workers in the area have also started using the footpath.
“The metro used to always keep the area neat and tidy. They mowed the grass about two metres into the vleiland (wetlands), so one has had good visibility,” Strauss said.
“People also started dumping rubbish here illegally two years ago, during December. We confronted some of the culprits, and in one instance, we picked up what one resident left behind after we told him to clean up, and dumped it on his stoep. But we still encounter that problem. That also attracts rodents and snakes and the like,” he said.
This year, in January, Strauss said, they encountered problems with power outages due to cable theft.
“The metro came to repair the cables, but left the site in a state,” he said.
“A tree fell over and was left right there. And the ground was not even levelled again after they dug and worked here. The quality of work that was done here is really a shame,” Strauss said.
Prigge said in the past a couple of community members would get together sometimes and have the area cleaned up, but they were informed that because it is a wetland, they were not allowed to do that anymore.
Casper McDonald, DA councillor of ward 64, said preservation of the wetlands is being regulated by legislation to protect fauna and flora, since an entire eco-system is involved in a wetland.
“At one stage I suggested to erect lights and wanted to lay out a hiking trail there, but was informed by the nature conservation department that it would impact the fauna negatively as it would disturb some insects and animals.
“The metro also needs to tread carefully and only mows the grass just before the winter season as a fire precaution, and that area is indeed on their list.”
McDonald said the problem with a wetland is that once it had been damaged, it can never again recover properly.
“But crime does pose a huge threat to the vleiland, and that is a very real problem and challenge with no quick solution. It is a catch-22.”
At the time of going to press, metro spokesperson Lindela Mashigo, said Rekord’s enquiry was receiving attention.
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