The communication gap between residents in Ward 61 and the ANC-led Tshwane Council seems to be widening, with residents complaining that they receive very little, if any, information or feedback from the Council or the Councillor concerning local Municipal matters affecting the community.
This follows a Pearl Street, Laudium resident, Parvathy Budhia, being highly upset with the Council over the cutting down of a tree that had stood in front of her house for about a decade.
According to Parvathy, Council workers arrived in front of her home last Thursday to cut down the tree, but when she enquired as to why they were cutting it, they could not provide a proper explanation.
To add to her woes, Parvathy told the Laudium Sun that she was disappointed with the attitude of the Council workers, who were not even prepared to clean up the mess they made after cutting the huge tree, leaving behind debris from the cut tree, which she had to clean up as it posed an ugly sight right in front of her house.
Parvathy of Pearl Street told the Laudium Sun, “When the Council workers came the first time they wanted to chop the tree. I told them not to chop it and asked them why they wanted to chop the tree, but they could not answer and then they went away. They later came back with a machine and started cutting the tree down piece by piece. The tree was not causing a nuisance to anyone, and neither was it touching any electricity wires, which are on the opposite sides of the street. I do not understand why they had to cut it down without giving us a proper reason. After cutting down the tree, they left a mess outside, leaving chunks of branches and small pieces of the tree. I went outside and asked them to please clean up the pavement because I sweep and clean the area in front of my house every day. I take pride in keeping the place clean, and I did not expect them to leave such a mess behind. I asked them nicely to clean up, but they refused. The driver told the workers to get into the vehicle and they left. They took some pieces of the tree, loaded it onto their bakkie and drove away. They simply left the rest of the mess behind for me to clean up. I am an elderly person, and I had to clean up the mess myself. I find this very upsetting because the Council workers came to do the job, but they did not take responsibility of cleaning up afterwards. We even approached our Councillor, Naeem Patel, for assistance, but he did not help us. As residents, we expect our Councillor to listen to our concerns and assist us when we have problems in our community. The tree was not inside my property, and it did not belong to me. However, as a concerned Laudium resident and someone who loves the environment, I believe I have every right to question why it was being completely cut. I feel that the Council does not care about Laudium. Trees are extremely important for life. They help keep our environment healthy and provide shade for pedestrians who walk along the road. It is disappointing when decisions are made without residents being given proper explanations. As residents we should be treated with respect, and our concerns should be heard instead of being ignored. In fact, we need more trees planted on pavements as they also improve the environment and contribute to our health and well-being. We should be protecting trees wherever possible, not cutting them down for no reason and more so, without even explaining why it is necessary to cut them completely. Our Councillor is supposed to represent the community, listen to their concerns and help resolve community problems. Unfortunately, I do not feel that this is happening in our area. Lastly, I want to say that I am extremely disappointed with the Council and the way this matter was handled. I question whether the people responsible for these decisions understand what is happening in our community. Residents deserve answers, accountability and proper service delivery. We cannot continue to have our concerns ignored.”
Dinesha Budhia, also of Pearl Street, told the Laudium Sun, “What the Council did by cutting down such an old tree is not right. We are extremely disappointed with the way in which this matter was handled, as it raises serious questions about the decisions being made regarding our neighbourhood, without consulting with us. When something like this tree, which has been growing on the pavement of our street for so many years, is removed, we believe there should be a clear reason before it is removed. Residents should not be left wondering why such decisions are taken, especially when they affect the appearance and surrounding of our streets. What disappoints me most is the lack of responsibility shown in situations like this. We expect the people responsible for maintaining our area to carry out their duties properly and consider the impact their actions have on the community. It is frustrating when residents see negative changes happening around them without understanding the reasons behind them. We live here, and we care about the place we call home. We want to see our neighbourhood maintained and improved, not left in a condition that causes further concern. I feel that the Council needs to be more organised and thoughtful when carrying out work in residential areas.”