Cassim Park residents have had it in chunks

The Tribune ePaper has received a barrage of complaints from residents of Cassim Park, who are, according to complaints, getting the short end of the stick. An alarming amount of unfinished worksites, dubious connections and crumbling infrastructure are but a few of the complaints. Another major complaint from a resident was that of the streetlights that are out of order, and have been for the longest time. Additionally, the road conditions in Cassim Park leaves much to be desired, with focus shifting to Littledale Street and Nelspan Road.

The condition of these roads, and the roadway in general in Cassim Park is horrendous, with a mixture of rubble, chipped bricks, stone and other materials that have been used as makeshift patches in an attempt to make the roads traversable. Unwary motorists could easily suffer great damage to their vehicle if not alert. The majority of streetlights are either damaged and leaning dangerously towards the roadway, or completely out of order. This, in turn, contributes to a high crime rate and opportune conditions for criminals to lurk and sneak in the yards of residences. A large number of residents in Cassim Park have already suffered damages as criminals pounce, with any items of value not bolted down or locked up, being nabbed from yards.

Uncollected refuse litter the sidewalks, grass on municipal grounds are long and unkempt, and council buildings, covered in graffiti and obscene spray painted images, rot away in glorious non-maintenance. Residents are also irked by the fact that they face electricity issues on a daily basis, often being left for hours without electricity, with a very slow response rate from municipal departments. According to complaints, the electricity are often not restored in a timely manner after the load reduction had been implemented by Msukaligwa Local Municipality.

“We pay our bills and pay our taxes, but this municipality never fixes the issues we have in the area, or Ermelo as a whole. The street lights have been off for years, and all we get are weak excuses of the trees being a problem. Most of the lamps don’t even have bulbs in them. The roads are falling apart, water leaks are all over the place, and then every other week there is a stream of sewage running down the streets. Why do we even bother paying these people, if they don’t deliver the promised services. They never have enough money, and they always want more. The community only receives false promises from the municipal managers and staff. The upkeep is so neglected that even the tennis court is no more, and the sportsground is falling apart. All this is due to poor management. Enough is enough,” stated one angry resident.