Residents living in the RDP houses in The Downs in Manenberg are worried about the pond/hole near the circle which they see as a health hazard and dangerous for children to play in, especially during the summer vacation.
They are also unhappy about the removal of the fence surrounding the pond allegedly by the contractor in November.
According to residents, people are dumping household garbage into the hole since the fence was removed.
Now rats are crawling out of the hole at night in search of food and scavenging through the dirt.
They fear for the safety and health of the children if the pond is not filled up or if new fencing is not erected.
Rob Quintas, the City’s Mayco member for urban mobility, replied to the query sent by People’s Post saying it was not a hole but a stormwater detention pond.
In his response, he states that the pond was constructed in line with the City’s Stormwater Management Policy and is severely blocked due to ongoing illegal dumping.
“The dumping causes additional blockages in the system. The illegal dumping is also a (contributing) factor to the rat infestation that is affecting the surrounding area. The pond will be cleaned by Thursday 15 December,” he says.
The City’s human settlements directorate had numerous engagements with the department of roads and infrastructure management and it was agreed that the pond will be closed.
“The department is currently busy with the planning process to determine how and when the pond will be closed, which is on Thursday.
“The fence in question was removed to enable the roads and infrastructure management department to carry out the work. While the removal of the fence may bring temporary discomfort, it was required for the work to take place. The fence was used during the construction process and was therefore removed and won’t be replaced,” Quintas says.
