Cape Town - Residents of Kensington and Factreton are angry with Transnet for failing to maintain a piece of land next to the Century City Station precinct.
According to the Kensington
Factreton Residents and Ratepayers Association, they have been pleading for years for Transnet to maintain their property, which has been a safety threat to residents.
Chairperson of the association Leslie Swartz said: “This problem has been coming on since 2009 when they built this station. We have been struggling for Transnet to come and at least level the grass and cut the trees, because its a threat to residents.”
The Century City Station was officially opened in 2010, when it was launched as a culmination of a collaborative effort between the Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa), the City of Cape Town and the Century City developer, Rabie Property Group.
The station was developed to cater for future passenger growth and to serve the Century City Development and the surrounding residential areas of Kensington and Factreton. The first readiness test of this achievement was, of course, the movement of soccer fans during the 2010 Fifa Soccer World Cup and, according to former Prasa group chief executive Lucky Montana, the station was identified as a major park and ride hub in the City.
“Over the years it has been characterised for being barren, derelict and crime-ridden as the overgrown vegetation and the huge mound of land provides an ideal concealment for criminals,” Swartz said.
He said the association and the broader community would be cutting down some of the trees tomorrow. In 2014, six women’s bodies were found murdered near the station. The victims were believed to have been attacked while crossing the field on their way to or from the station.
“To this day, there is a significant undeveloped expanse of Transnet land that separates the Century City Station from its closest residential neighbourhood. We strongly believe that this physical environment played a huge role in facilitating these senseless murders and continues to place commuters at risk,” Swartz said.
Ward councillor for the area Helen Jacobs said: “We are working very closely with the residents association about the concerns that have been raised. We are aware that there were plans to develop the area back in 2010 and build a park and parking bays, but those plans went quiet, and what we are trying to do is revive it once again.”
Jacobs said it had been a struggle engaging with Transnet.
“We are still having ongoing engagements,” she said.
Transnet did not respond to queries at the time of going to print.
@MarvinCharles17