‘We need help now’: Residents infuriated by poor verge upkeep

For most residents living in Ward 17 (Merlewood and Marburg) the only way to sort out overgrown verges is by hiring a private grass cutter.
Many who live in these areas are pensioners and find this an expensive task.
Ward 17 councillor, Ajith Rajaram, said he has been inundated with calls from residents complaining about verges not been cut and about the contractor’s workmanship.
“I have addressed this issue of verge cutting with the municipality numerous times. Photos of overgrown verges in Marburg and Merlewood were taken and sent to the municipality. I have no other option but to contact the media to highlight the problem we councillors are faced with. We only go to the press if there is no service delivery. At the end of the day we have a responsibility as elected public representatives to answer to our residents,” said Rajaram.

Residents have called on the municipality to prioritise cleaning and maintaining the verges in all areas.
“Overgrown verges have become a huge problem, especially as criminals hide in these areas. There seems to be a total lack of supervision from the supervisors,” said a Deepvale Road resident.
Rani Pillay, who lives in Friesland Road, said people are now forced to walk on the road.
“In some areas ‘paras’ are waiting to rob people. There are pensioners who walk to the Marburg clinic who are often approached by these ‘paras’ who hide in the overgrown verges. We need help now!”
Simon April, spokesman for Ray Nkonyeni Municipality, said the matter regarding cutting of verges was being investigated.
He said verges are cut once a month. “One is not sure when these pictures were taken… had the month of January ended without them being cut?”

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