More and more residents now believe that Cllr Naeem Patel from the ANC, is more
concerned about ‘smiling for the camera,’ than actually attending to the needs of the community, concerning local government issues affecting them.
This follows a so called ‘walk about’ to see first-hand, the problems the community faced, that Patel and his ‘shadow’, CPF Chair, Shaheen Wahab undertook recently. The pair apparently walked through the streets of Laudium, including the White Blocks area, splashing photos of themselves on social media, claiming to be meeting and listening to residents concerning ‘crime and grime’ issues. But, many residents from the area, who were not even aware of the ‘walk about’ until seeing the posts on social media, are asking, if the pair did in fact walk the streets in their area, adding, “What is next? What action have they taken to address the concerns of the community, such as drug dealing, illegal shebeens, overcrowding in illegal shack erected in backyards, rubbish on the streets and poverty, in the White Blocks and nearby areas.”
In one of the latest complaints received by the Laudium Sun, residents of Onyx Street, are complaining about a tavern on their street, ‘H Tavern,’ saying that they are deeply frustrated and fed up with the environment they are forced to live in. According to the residents, the situation worsens on weekends and weekdays after 4pm, when the tavern allegedly becomes packed with intoxicated people who make loud noises, get into fights, litter the area, and park their cars in front of residents’ homes. As a result, residents are now saying that ‘enough is enough’ as they can no longer tolerate these conditions.
Zainub Osman, a resident of Onyx Street in Laudium, told the Laudium Sun, “I’m really tired of all the trouble we go through because of alcohol being sold right next to our house. On weekends, the place is packed with cars and drunk people everywhere, fighting, making noise, and blasting loud music. At night, it feels like there’s a Christmas party happening right on our street. Cars are parked all the way from my house to the bottom of the road, including right in front of our gate, which makes it very difficult for us to get in or out. Every night there are fights, usually between drunk people and it has made our area very dangerous. We’re too scared to go outside at night because we don’t know what could happen. People urinate in the streets and the smell is disgusting. One day I even saw three men hiding in the bush across our house, it was terrifying. A lot of bad things are happening because of this tavern and our children are no longer safe. This isn’t about me being a Muslim and speaking out against alcohol. Trust me, people from other religions living here feel the same way, they are also complaining. We are all tired of the tavern’s operations. I cannot understand why the Tshwane Council, the Councillor or the police are not doing anything about this tavern operating in the heart of a residential neighbourhood. I do not know if they have a licence to operate, but even if they do, they surely are not abiding to the rules. Something needs to be done. We can’t go on like this! We have families and our children are growing up having to deal with this. We don’t want them to be negatively influenced by what’s happening because of this tavern.”
Sarogine Moodley, another resident of Onyx Street, told the Laudium Sun, “The H Tavern has been operating on our street for many years and we’ve been complaining about it for just as long, but nothing has ever been done. They are selling all sorts of bad things and so many negative activities are happening in our area because of it. Our children are being badly influenced by what they see around them every day. Every night, the place is packed and people throw alcohol bottles all over the street. The noise is unbearable. We are elderly and we simply cannot tolerate such loud music and shouting. I live right nearby the tavern and it’s a nightmare listening to the constant noise and dealing with drunk people doing disgusting things on our street. This situation is completely unbearable and it has to stop. People park their cars right outside my home, leaving me no space. When visitors come to see us, they have to park far away because there’s never any parking left near my house. It’s unacceptable. I appeal to our Councillor and the police to stop this nuisance we as residents are facing.”
Saras Arnachillan, yet another resident of Onyx Street, told the Laudium Sun, “The H Tavern near my house is causing many problems in our community. Onyx Street is no longer safe for residents. A lot of illegal activities are happening because of the tavern. Drunk people are everywhere, there’s constant noise and cars are parked all over the street, blocking access. Street vendors are also selling various things without any licenses and in the morning, the area is filthy because no one cleans up. Before the tavern opened, our street was quiet and beautiful. It was a peaceful place to live. But since the H Tavern started operating, we’ve been suffering from sleepless nights and a constant feeling of discomfort and insecurity. I appeal to the entire community to come together and sign a petition to remove this H Tavern from our area. We need a healthy environment where we can raise our next generation, not a filthy and dangerous place like we are living in now.”
Primisha Moodley of Onyx Street told the Laudium Sun, “I have a serious problem with the H Tavern that is operating on our street. I’m an elderly person and I can’t cope with all the noise. The people who come to buy alcohol from the tavern make a lot of noise, especially with their cars on weekends. We really need help. I am not sure if they have a licence to operate, but if they do, it should be investigated as to how did they get it, as this is a residential area and besides the nuisance they are causing warrants the cancellation of the licence if they have one. The tavern should be closing at the time permitted by law, but it continues to operate outside of those hours. Drunk people gather in front of my house and do all sorts of inappropriate things. We are truly tired of this situation. We want the H Tavern to either shut down or move their business somewhere else. It’s no longer bearable for us.”
The Laudium Sun approached H Tavern for a comment, but they declined to comment.
Attempts to get a comment from Cllr Patel were unsuccessful.