Durban — Snakes, rats and cockroaches have taken up residence in the home of an elderly woman in Phoenix, north of Durban, because of poor service delivery that has left her with overgrown bushes and tall grass outside her home for months.
The elderly resident said she lives in fear because the bushes and grass outside her yard have become “home” to vagrants who have sought refuge in the unkempt shrubs.
“I have lived here for 33 years, and I have not had such problems before, except for now that all our outcry and appeal for help and service delivery have fallen on deaf ears,” said the woman, asking for anonymity.
Among other challenges, she said, the sewage has made the street in front of her house a stinky, unpleasant road to walk out onto.
She also decried the overgrown bushes and grass outside her yard, which she said have invited unwelcome “neighbours” who pose a danger to her life and to other elderly people who live alone like her.
“For months now, I have reported this problem to the local ward councillor, and also to the parks board, but nothing gets done about it.
“As a result, rats, cockroaches and even snakes have infested my house.
“Service delivery is so poor in this ward. We also face rampant sewage problems which flows down into our yards during heavy rain. Illegal dumping and rubble just outside my yard is also a common sight. This has made our homes infested with flies, too.”
She said her son had suggested that she sell her house and move out of the area, adding that the situation has devalued her property.
Selling property in such an unkempt area has made it difficult because no one would like to buy a house here, she stressed.
Phoenix Civic Movement chairperson Vivian Pillay said his organisation was busy addressing residents’ calls for service delivery.
He added that eThekwini Municipality has a constitutional obligation to respond to ratepayers’ needs in Phoenix.
“We have approached the parks department in the Phoenix area for a meeting and are still waiting for their response.
“It appears the Phoenix parks department has budget constraints with no equipment for staff to perform their duties.”
Pillay said crime is out of control in Phoenix and many senior citizens are killed in their homes.
DA ward 49 councillor Tino Pillay said he had reported the problem to the relevant departments and was still waiting for their response.
The DA had said in a statement that there has been a shortage of staff in the parks department for years now, which has affected areas such as Phoenix and others north of Durban.
Pillay said the staff simply cannot compete with the increasing demand for basic services like grass cutting and tree pruning, adding that the tree-felling department has one operational truck and has a backlog of hundreds of complaints in the Phoenix area alone.
eThekwini Municipality spokesperson Lindiwe Khuzwayo said that a team from eThekwini Municipality’s Parks, Recreation and Culture Unit will visit the area to investigate the complaints.
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