Rooihuiskraal ‘besieged’ by homeless

Residents along Rooihuiskraal Road in Centurion are increasingly frustrated with the metro’s lack of action on repairing the road.

The road, which runs through a large part of Centurion, is plagued with problems that residents say have become increasingly worse, especially on the corner of Rooihuiskraal and Hendrik Verwoerd roads.

Resident Sarel Broodryk said a constant water leak from an unrepaired burst pipe in a field behind Basson Street in Celtisdal added to their woes.

Broodryk said he had reported this leak many times but had received no answers.

“They come back with reports that the pipes are too old to fix,” he said.

“In the meantime, millions of litres of water are going to waste.”

Broodryk said homeless people had reportedly also moved into an overgrown vacant plot near a restaurant in Rooihuiskraal.

He said the corner of Rooihuiskraal and Hendrik Verwoerd road “looks terrible and people expect us to drive past there every day”.

“There is no maintenance being done here.

“These spots should be attractive to residents and not an eyesore like it is at the moment,” said Broodryk.

Many residents are also concerned that the illegal shelters in the area have led to an increase in crime, especially house break-ins and cable theft.

Broodryk said he is also concerned about the hawkers dumping waste or leaving their goods unattended and sleeping on the side of the road at night.

Residents have taken to cutting the grass and clearing the litter themselves but Broodryk said this was not sustainable.

“We pay rates and taxes just like everybody else only for our streets to look like this.

“It’s very frustrating when you can’t get answers from anybody,” he added.

On June 22, hawkers were cleared from Uitsig Road amid ward 64 councillor Casper McDonald claiming illegal dumping had become worse.

“Due to an unemployment rate of almost 50% and the migration of citizens from the rural areas to the cities, illegal trading is mushrooming in the metros.

“Rooihuiskraal and The Reeds are not an exception in this regard.

“Illegal traders took ownership of the corner of Uitsig Road and Kestrel Avenue.

“They sleep in the road reserve and even the hygiene in that area was affected.

“It turned into an eyesore and the community was up in arms and needed serious intervention to clean up that area,” said McDonald.

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McDonald added that illegal trading has become a big issue in the entire Tshwane, not just Centurion.

“There are specific bylaws dealing with illegal trading and we are streamlining the registration process.

“We will have to find an amicable solution for street vendors and how and where they can trade,” McDonald said.

Ward councillor 70 Marika Kruger Miller said the problems had been going on for months and were more complicated than most residents think.

“That is a provincial road so there is very little that the council can do about the problem
“It is the province’s job to sort this issue out,” she said.

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