Housing is one of the main beefs for residents of ward 19, which includes Buffalo Flats, Greenfields, West Bank and Second Creek.
This is according to the ward councillor Richard Rooy.
Rooy said that due to the variation in his ward’s demographics, the issues raised by residents in the area varied from suburb to suburb and the problems with housing manifested in different ways.
In West Bank many houses were being allowed to decay, creating an eyesore for surrounding residents.
This problem, he said, could be partly put down to BCM residents from more affluent areas buying property in West Bank in the hopes that when the area began to prosper again their investment would garner more value.
However, many of these houses, once purchased, are not maintained.
Many West Bank residents have complained to the ward committee about a house in Jackson Street, which is said to be a source of crime in the community.
The house, which from the outside appears to be abandoned, with glass missing from boarded up windows, paint peeling from external walls and a completely overgrown front yard, is allegedly being used as a drug den.
Bompas Mcilongo, who has lived in a neighbouring house for 12 years, said the problem had started about six years ago, when the original owner died.
“They [the people occupying the house] are a problem. They are in and out the whole night, always making a noise. Last Friday the police were here. They were fighting outside the house. There are too many drugs,” said Mcilongo.
Asked about the incident, area police spokeswoman Warrant Officer Hazel Mqala said: “No case [was] reported, no arrests [were] made. Police received information from a concerned member of the community.
“[The] sector commander is aware and monitoring [it] as well as doing regular raid[s].”
In Second Creek, which has an unemployment rate of almost 70%, a very different housing problem is brewing. Rooy said that the roughly 260 residents who stay in the area used to live off the dumpsite, which was closed some years ago by BCM and the provincial government.
He explained that RDP housing was built in the area after the tip was rehabilitated, but not all of those who had lived off the tip received a house. This meant there were still shacks in the area, and according to Rooy, this number is “mushrooming”.
In Buffalo Flats the allocation list for RDP housing is a problem. Rooy said the system was by no means perfect, with many people living in what are called “backyard shacks” – informal structures in the yards of others – despite signing up for housing up to 20 years ago.
Other issues that ward 19 residents struggle with include poor vegetation control, dissatisfaction with the standard of clinics, a desperate need for youth facilities, reduction of potholes and, in Second Creek, someone to tackle the problem of roaming pigs.
Residents of ward 19 can contact Rooy on 083-597-2470.
Housing problems differ in each area
This is according to the ward councillor Richard Rooy.
Rooy said that due to the variation in his ward’s demographics, the issues raised by residents in the area varied from suburb to suburb and the problems with housing manifested in different ways.
In West Bank many houses were being allowed to decay, creating an eyesore for surrounding residents.
This problem, he said, could be partly put down to BCM residents from more affluent areas buying property in West Bank in the hopes that when the area began to prosper again their investment would garner more value.
However, many of these houses, once purchased, are not maintained.
Many West Bank residents have complained to the ward committee about a house in Jackson Street, which is said to be a source of crime in the community.
The house, which from the outside appears to be abandoned, with glass missing from boarded up windows, paint peeling from external walls and a completely overgrown front yard, is allegedly being used as a drug den.
Bompas Mcilongo, who has lived in a neighbouring house for 12 years, said the problem had started about six years ago, when the original owner died.
“They [the people occupying the house] are a problem. They are in and out the whole night, always making a noise. Last Friday the police were here. They were fighting outside the house. There are too many drugs,” said Mcilongo.
Asked about the incident, area police spokeswoman Warrant Officer Hazel Mqala said: “No case [was] reported, no arrests [were] made. Police received information from a concerned member of the community.
“[The] sector commander is aware and monitoring [it] as well as doing regular raid[s].”
In Second Creek, which has an unemployment rate of almost 70%, a very different housing problem is brewing. Rooy said that the roughly 260 residents who stay in the area used to live off the dumpsite, which was closed some years ago by BCM and the provincial government.
He explained that RDP housing was built in the area after the tip was rehabilitated, but not all of those who had lived off the tip received a house. This meant there were still shacks in the area, and according to Rooy, this number is “mushrooming”.
In Buffalo Flats the allocation list for RDP housing is a problem. Rooy said the system was by no means perfect, with many people living in what are called “backyard shacks” – informal structures in the yards of others – despite signing up for housing up to 20 years ago.
Other issues that ward 19 residents struggle with include poor vegetation control, dissatisfaction with the standard of clinics, a desperate need for youth facilities, reduction of potholes and, in Second Creek, someone to tackle the problem of roaming pigs.
Residents of ward 19 can contact Rooy on 083-597-2470.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Trending Now
Latest Videos