Residents of eMalahleni are up in arms over the state of the local Post Office Post-boxes stationed in Gordon, Springbok and Choir streets.
Despite eMalahleni being nominated to be ‘Dorp van die Jaar’ on Kwela, the city itself remains in shambles, with the grass being cut only when a ‘higher-up’ pays the city a visit.
You might need to put on your jungle attire and grab malaria spray when venturing into the Tasbetpark post-boxes which has recently being overrun with weeds of all sorts.
Adding to the lack of maintenance throughout the city is the condition of the post boxes.
In Gordon Street, the Emalahleni Municipality dug up the road to repair a water pipe but failed to relay and fill the parking area properly making just parking to get your post a hazard, not to mention the long grass and litter surrounding the Die Heuwel post-boxes.
The Die Heuwel post-box in Gordon Street has once again being left in a state of chaos, even the parking bays are in poor condition.
Similarly the Staalveld post-boxes situated in Choir Street are also surrounded by overgrown veld, cardboard boxes litter the area and broken glass can be found in the vicinity, another display of neglect.
Tasbetpark’s post-boxes seem to be the worst off as a thicket of weeds have overrun the area. To get to some of the post-boxes you need to pry your way through and the area doesn’t feel safe as there is ample place for wrongdoers to hide.
The lesser evil of the three post-boxes Staalveld is merely surrounded by overgrown veld, nothing a good grass cutting session can’t cure.
Additionally these post-boxes have become a refuge for the homeless as one can see a number of boxes laid out as makeshift beds, blankets lie along the concrete slabs, and empty bottles decorate the area.
The Emalahleni Municipality was notified of the issues and have noted the problem but have not responded with a solution at time of print. The South African Postal Service was contacted for comment and is awaiting feedback from the area manager with regards to the condition of the three post-box sites.
