Kilner Park dumping growing worse by the day
“Burning plastic and other materials is sending smoke into flats and old age homes and it is polluting the Hartbeesspruit,” says a local resident.
Many Kilner Park residents are greeted with an ugly sight on their way to work in the mornings as widespread dumping increasingly becomes an issue.
Resident Chris Bosman said problems with dumping began before the Covid-19 pandemic and have only gotten worse.
He said the most problematic development was the burning of plastics and drug dealing.
“Burning plastic and other materials is sending smoke into flats and old age homes, and it is polluting the Hartbeesspruit,” Bosman told Rekord.
“Crimes such as petty theft and break-ins have increased around the area.
“Catcalling of girls and women walking past the spruit on the walkway, public urination and defecation, drinking in public are also becoming problems.”
Bosman added that unregistered businesses have been popping up, causing even more littering in the area.
It has also raised concerns about break-ins for cars parked at a nearby shopping centre as well as the selling of drugs in the area.
Bosman said the community is frustrated with the lack of answers and wants to see the mess cleared.
He is a member of the Moot Projek, which has ongoing clean-up efforts to keep the Moot clean.
The Moot Projek and AfriForum have both been heavily involved with cleaning and beautifying the Moot area, but it has been an uphill challenge for both.
Both have also focused on the Moot spring, which has been subject to severe pollution over the years.
Andries Opperman from AfriForum Groter Moot said the preservation of the spring is one of their top priorities.
Both AfriForum and the Moot Projek want residents to be proud of their town once more.
Homeless people living around the spruit have also become a growing problem, with many residents saying they no longer recognise their own town.
Local ward councillor Mari Joubert said homelessness is a serious problem in the area and that the metro should look to more long-term solutions.
“This is a humanitarian issue, and it should be treated as such before it gets any worse.”
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