Ward 103 councillor fights to make community clean
Lynda Shackleford urges her residents to donate unused and unwanted goods to local charities and not to hawkers due to the increase of harassment in the area of Bryanston.
Ward 103 councillor Lynda Shackleford gears up to battle an obstacle which has been hindering the safety and the hygiene of her residents around the area of Ballyclare Drive.
Shackleford received reports of residents, school learners and workers based at the Bryanston Shopping Centre being harassed by street vendors occupying the corner of Ballyclare Drive and Hobart Road.
According to the ward councillor, some of the occupants were given items donated by residents and collected a few more at the Pikitup dumping site, opposite to the park, to help generate some income. “Last year, various entities including the metro police, Johannesburg Road Agency and Johannesburg City Parks cleaned and fixed up the park near the road to improve the area.
“Within two days, residents dropped off goods at the Pikitup dumping site where recyclers and hawkers collected and started selling the items on the side of the roads. The problem that came with it was having the gates at the park broken.”
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Apparently hawkers forced their way into the park to find refuse.
“The issue is that they put all their shelters against the walls where the residents live and it is unhygienic,” said Shackleford.
“My biggest worry is that this area is a place where parents drop off their children to schools. I’ve heard reports of children being offered drugs by some of these individuals and other reports of hawkers climbing in the back of vans to forcefully take goods.”
Through her challenge, Shackleford identified that the problem not only lies with the hawkers, but with the residents donating the goods to the people as it enables their actions. She urged her community members to find alternative of donating goods to those who are in need and has pleaded with her residents to not use the dumping site for throwing away unwanted objects.
“This dump is strictly for garden refuse, basic small plastics, paper and small portions of rubble. It is not place to get rid of stuff that you no longer want. If you want to give your goods away, contact local charities and if it’s bigger items like couches and electrical items, contact Pikitup. As residents and corporates, we need to have a conscience. We have many corners that still need our attention and we keep fixing this one.”
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