Bluff’s ‘Point Road’ facelift too little, too late
FYNNLANDS on the Bluff has becoming synonymous with decay and filth and it is with this in mind that a somewhat controversial clean-up has been scheduled for the area by the South Durban Basin (SDB) Area Based Management (ABM).
As part of the SDB ABM’s business plan for 2013/14, they have scheduled four clean-up campaigns, commencing in Fynnlands. “The area has been identified as a hotspot after site inspections were conducted,” said SDB ABM manager, Eurakha Singh.
On Tuesday, 22 October volunteers and members of the SDB ABM office, SAP, Metro Police, Community Orientated Policing (COP) and Tactical will take to the streets from 9am to noon in a bid to reduce the grime. Durban Solid Waste (DSW) will provide rubbish bags and a pick-up truck to remove the collected trash.
COP chairman Rake Jeeves believes the clean-up is necessary, but might not be enough to stop the rot. “While I thank the SDB ABM for taking the initiative to assist the Bluff, I think the municipality is shirking its duties to clean up the area and stop the rot. The area is so far gone now; it’s going to be almost impossible to reverse the deterioration. The property market in the area has taken a huge knock and many residents who want to get out can’t sell their houses, so they are stuck in the middle of an area that has been nicknamed the Bluff’s ‘Point Road’.”
The clean-up has its opposition in the form of ward 66 councillor, Duncan Du Bois and Bluff Ratepayers Association chairman, Ivor Aylward. Du Bois said it is the responsibility of those at fault to clear the rubble. “Whereas the beaches, which are public property and a common recreation area, enjoyed open, voluntary involvement, the Fynnland clean-up is really the responsibility of property owners and Metro Rail, assisted by DSW where verges and sidewalks are concerned.”
Aylward said taking part in the clean-up, as members of the public, means “we are accepting the conditions people are allowing our suburbs to deteriorate into and that the law has not been implemented by the required departments. There are laws in place to bring owners of squalid properties to book. Park areas are the responsibility of the Parks Departments and as such, they should do the necessary work to maintain it. After the clean-up you, are perpetrators going to be charged or is this going to be an ongoing problem?”
According to Singh, the main aim of the clean-up is to engage with tenants to clean-up the verges and stairs surrounding their homes and will also allow for DSW and the Health Department to educate residents and foster an ongoing relationship with the SDB ABM.
Residents interested in taking part may meet at Fynnlands Sports Club at 8.30am.
– erinh@dbn.caxton.co.za
