DURBAN - MEREBANK residents have lashed out at eThekwini Municipality for failing to cut the grass around their homes which they said have grown to bush size.
Residents said it had been a while complaining about the maintenance with the municipality, but nothing was being done.
Residents who spoke to the Daily News during a recent visit to the area said the unmaintained municipal land around their homes was bringing a lot of crime since criminals were using the grown grass as their hideout after stealing their valuables.
Mere West Foundation convener Premilla Deonath said it was shocking that such a big municipality was failing to deliver a simple service like grass cutting, adding that residents had to cut it themselves.
“We have a serious problem. We feel neglected, and this happens after a few months from elections where we were promised a lot of things,” said Deonath.
She said apart from crime, residents also fear snakes, especially since it is summer when snakes usually come out to look for water, saying this was putting the lives of the children at risk.
Two weeks ago, the Daily News ran a story where the same community complained about the high rate of crime which is attributed to the emergence of scrap yard dealers in their neighbourhood.
Residents said there were a lot of young people pushing trolleys full of scrap metals to sell to the scrapyard, adding that the municipality had not responded to their calls to move scrap yard dealers from the residential area to the industrial park in Jacobs.
eThekwini Municipality had not responded at the time of publication.
Daily News