'We really need help’

Crime, dumping, and housing, were among the issues residents complained about during a meeting attended by mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis at Athlone’s Dulcie September Civic Centre last week.

The meeting was organised by the City, and more than 200 residents had a chance to address representatives from various municipal departments.

Mr Hill-Lewis said the City had spent over R3 million in the 2023/2024 financial year on water projects by fixing, and installing new water pipes in Wilger, Sunbird, Lark, and Kalkoen roads in Bridgetown and will spend over R5 million in Rylands in the 2024/2025 financial year, and upgrades were planned for parks in Silvertown, Heideveld, Surrey Estate and Bridgetown.

For the current financial year, he said, the City would build speed bumps in Belgravia’s Orion and College roads and raised intersections in Duine Street and Mabel Road. In Manenberg, raised intersections would be built at Jordaan Road and Don Street. And R14 million in road rehabilitation would be done in Manenberg and Heideveld.

A R123 million housing project – which would include land identified in Hanover Park, Heideveld, Bridgetown, and Manenberg – would start in the next financial year, and a R9.4 million upgrade to the Athlone Refuse Transfer Station would be completed by 2030, he said.

Mr Hill-Lewis said that many of the complaints the City logged from residents in the area dealt with illegal dumping, sewer blockages and overflows, electricity, housing opportunities, relocation of informal settlements, administration, and maintenance of council rental units.

The City was cleaning Duinefontein and Turfall roads and Aries Street twice a week after residents had identified them as dumping hot spots, he said.

The City spent R350 million annually on cleaning up illegal-dumping across the metro, and those found guilty of adding to those dumps could be fined up to R10 000 or face up to two years in prison, he said.

“Don't dispose of oil down the drain. When reporting issues, we need a clear address or road or landmark. Someone is protecting people who are illegally connecting and stealing lights and cables. In most cases, people are on the street because of drugs and family have thrown them out because of theft. The hardest part is getting them back together with families,” he said.

Mayoral committee member for safety and security, JP Smith, said foreign objects in drains, including rags, fats, sand and roots, were behind most of the sewer blockages, and it was difficult for City sanitation workers to do repairs when illegal structures had been built over or close to sewer infrastructure.

Large amounts of fat had been found in the Yusuf Gool Road sewer line in Gatesville, he said.

Mr Smith said that over the past 100 days the City had received 3 419 service requests related to crime, 780 related to drugs, and 241 related to trauma assault, from across the metro.

Mr Smith said there was only a 2-to-3% conviction rate for gang-related crime; police detectives were each, on average, swamped by more than 300 cases; and the police did not know where the guns and bullets came from because of poor crime intelligence.

“The gang establishment has become destabilised. Many gang leaders are are tied up in cases and their positions are being filled by youth. Shooting now continues for two to four days. We are seeing more and more home made imitation guns on the streets. We might not always grab criminals on the street but rather at home where we’ll find more guns. We are making good progress with extortionists,” he said.

Valerie Beukes, who stays in Kannasbast Close in Kewtown, said that the flooring in her council home was lifting because of the winter rains. She said that she had reported it two months ago but nothing had been done.

“They came out and did nothing. My walls are wet from the toilet right into my kitchen,” she said.

Matilda Fortune, who also stays Kannabast Close, said that there was a hole in her ceiling and the water poured down when it rained.

“My kitchen cupboards are all spoilt. They come out and just look at it. What must we do?”

Charlene Dulliser, from Athlone, said that crime, including cable theft, break-ins and murders, were affecting the community the most.

“A lot can be done. We need help from SAPS and the City. Most of the time we as residents chase the gangsters away, but we really need help,” she said.