(Stefanie) Rats and rubbish stink up area Residents in Elandspoort have had enough of the rubbish and rats on an open piece of land between their homes that has been turned into an illegal dump site. Nthabiseng Madumo | 23 January 2014 Photo: Hester van Zyl standing in front of a heap of rubble. Rats and the smell of dead animals and residents’ garbage bags are rife in Elandspoort, much to the anger of residents. Building rubble in an open piece of land in Mauser Street, allegedly dumped by a nearby construction team, was the start of residents’ troubles, as more and more people have begun to use the area as a dumping site. “This is unacceptable. First it was just building rubble, but now residents have started disposing of their garbage bags and other things here,” a concerned resident, Hester van Zyl, explained. According to van Zyl, all the contractors in the area were issued with letters ordering them to clear away their refuse. “Rats are bothering us and the smell of all the garbage and dead animals is terrible,” van Zyl said. She indicated that the dumping started last year August, but that it had now gotten out of hand. She said that the grass and trees were even beginning to grow over the heaps of rubble. “The place looks untidy and there are people that have to walk here every day. This is a health hazard for us,” she pointed out. Some residents said they did not feel safe walking past the area, because criminals could easily hide away in the unkempt area and ambush them. Residents insisted that the rubbish be removed and the open piece of land be cleaned. At the time of going to print, no comment had been received from the Tshwane metro
Posted on: Mon, 27 Jan 2014 11:50:59 +0000