Get stuck in and clean up your suburbs

EDITOR – Welcome to our neighbours in the Southlands district, who for the past year have all been moaning and groaning about the destruction of our areas.

I agree with you all, but why not at the beginning of this year let us all do something about it and move ourselves and not wait for Ethekweni – you and I know they are going to do absolutely nothing. So fellow ratepayers, this year is ours. It is your investment so look after it.

How about everyone cleaning up an area, say 10 or 15 metres from their particular house or home? That means everyone and let’s have photos in Southlands Sun of communities that have gone to the trouble of cleaning up their area. And as an extra special thought, come along and join the Yellowwood Park Ratepayers meeting on the first Monday of each month in the Yellowwood Park Civic Centre committee room to show your support if you honestly and truly want to clean up the area. Only each and every ratepayer can do it.

I am counting on every ratepayer – no more moans to the paper. Do the extra work. Do not ever look to Ethekweni to assist, you are wasting your time. I know you pay rates as we all do, but absolutely nothing will be done to increase your investment unless you get up and do it yourself.

ANGELA PETERS

Ed’s note: I applaud the gist of your drive for ratepayers to get stuck in to clean up the area and would gladly commit the Sun to supporting the effort through editorial coverage with articles and photos of any such clean-ups. However, I believe there are departments within Ethekwini Municipality that ensure service delivery is more than just a phrase but rather a call to action that they gladly answer. The reality is of course that there are those that don’t, and in a metropolitan city as big as Durban, the needs of suburbs can fall through the cracks. It would indeed be wonderful to see more being done to improve the aesthetics of an area, on an ongoing basis, by all those who live and own properties in their suburbs.