‘Love thy neighbour as thyself,’ but many may say that proverb is easier said than done.
Life can certainly become frustrating when having troublesome neighbours, be it because of a constant barking dog, noisy or nosey neighbours, dry leaves from tree branches constantly falling into your yard, the smelly odour from the cooking pot of some food recipe gone wrong, or of course, the screams of an amorous couple being heard in the quiet of the night.
Whatever the reason, life can be hectic when having troublesome neighbours.
This follows a row brewing between two neighbours living in the once ‘rich valley’ of 5th Avenue, Laudium, where one neighbour has raised a complaint with the Laudium Sun about creeper plants from a nearby property blocking the pavement and causing major difficulties for his morning and evening walks.
The neighbour, Yunus Moosa Dada, also known as Jones, added that the creepers were also hampering his safe movement when going daily to the nearby Jewel Street Mosque for prayers. He said the blocked pavement also created a serious problem for his cousin, who uses a wheelchair, forcing both of them and others to walk on that part of the street, which has a sharp bend and is extremely dangerous, as passing vehicles could easily bump into them.
Yunus Moosa Dada, the disgruntled resident of 5th Avenue, told the Laudium Sun, “I am really sick and tired of the creepers hanging over the wall from the property owned by our neighbour two houses away, Ebrahim Patel. The creepers have grown so much that they are falling over the wall and blocking the entire pavement. This has become a serious problem for residents because we are forced to walk in the street and put our lives at risk just because the pavement is blocked by these creepers. When we walk down 5th Ave going to the PMT Mosque or having our daily walks, we are forced to pass Ebrahim’s house. He has creepers growing on his property, but the creepers are now overhanging onto the pedestrian pathway and blocking it. Now, instead of being able to safely use the pavement, we are forced to walk on the street, but it is extremely dangerous as the house of Ebrahim is on a very dangerous sharp bend, and a passing vehicle can easily knock into any pedestrian walking down 5th Ave, going towards the Mosque or Jewel Street. We have reported this problem to him many times, but he ignores us. This has been going on for the past three years and it is not something that has only started recently. He did cut the creepers after we complained previously, but this year he has not done anything about them. The creepers have continued to grow and are now causing even more problems for residents who need to use the pavement. I also have a cousin who is in a wheelchair, living next door to me. He normally goes to the Mosque in his wheelchair as it is near and uses the pavement because that is the safest and proper way for him to move around in the vicinity. Because the creepers are blocking the pavement, he now has to use the street which has a dangerous sharp bend, to get to the Mosque. This is really dangerous, especially for a person with a physical disability who is using a wheelchair. 5th Ave is a busy street and I am worried about what could happen if a vehicle comes past while he is moving on the street. I have tried to speak to Ebrahim Patel, the owner of the property where the creepers are wildly growing, but Ebrahim does not understand our concerns. We have tried to explain the problem to him, but we feel that our complaints are being ignored. We are asking for the creepers to be trimmed regularly because they are growing over the wall and blocking a public pedestrian pathway. This is not only about me. It affects other residents and staff of 5th Ave who use this pavement every day. People should be able to walk safely without having to step onto the road because a property owner has allowed creepers to overhang onto the pedestrian pathway. Elderly people, children, people going to the Mosque and people going for morning or evening walks or going down to the shops, are all affected by this dangerous situation. We as a community need action now. We want the creepers to be cut back and removed from the pavement so that residents can once again use the pedestrian pathway safely. I am again asking the relevant authorities and the property owner to please look into this matter. We need this matter to be addressed before someone is seriously injured in an accident or even killed.”
Ebrahim Patel, the owner of the property on 5th Avenue where the creepers are growing onto the pavement, told the Laudium Sun, “I don’t have any issue with anyone and we are all like one family here in 5th Ave. We have always supported each other as residents and I believe that we should continue to respect and support one another in our community. Regarding the matter of the creepers, they grow very fast and it is not always easy to keep track of how quickly they spread. I do cut the creepers when I see that they have grown too much, but they continue to grow again very quickly. It is not that I am deliberately allowing them to grow over the wall or onto the pavement. Sometimes the growth happens faster than I can attend to it. I understand that my neighbours are concerned about the situation, and I acknowledge that the creepers are currently blocking part of the pavement. I can understand their frustration, especially because residents use the pavement when walking along 5th Ave. I do not want the creepers to cause difficulties for anyone who needs to use the pedestrian pathway. I also want my neighbours to understand that I am not ignoring the matter. I have dealt with the creepers before and I will attend to it again. I will cut them back and make sure that they are cleared from the pavement. I will also take steps to remove them permanently if need be so that they do not continue causing the same problem. I do not have any negative comments to make about my neighbours who believe that I am not doing anything about the creepers. I respect their concerns and I understand why they are raising the matter. I acknowledge that the pavement has been blocked by the creepers and I accept that this needs to be addressed. I would also like to say that I have no intention of creating problems with my neighbours. We live together as a community and I believe these matters can be resolved peacefully. I hope that once the work is done, the issue will be resolved and we can continue living together as neighbours and supporting each other as we have always done.”
