A nearby informal settlement is jeopardising property values in the Vanes Estate in Uitenhage in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro (NMBM). This is just one of the many concerns that residents of the town raised during a meeting with the FF Plus.
Residents blame the current and previous municipal dispensations that paid no heed to residents’ pleas to step in and help save the neighbourhood.
One of the biggest problems is that the informal settlement Moeggesukkel has expanded so much over the last year that structures have been erected almost up to the street across from the Vanes Estate.
To make matters worse, the settlement does not have access to basic municipal services like water, sanitation and electricity.
The previously lush environment has been deforested for firewood and to make space for new shacks. This has also caused people from across Uitenhage to start dumping their trash there illegally.
All these factors contribute to a significant decrease in the Estate’s property valuations, which will also have a detrimental effect on the Metro’s revenue from property rates and taxes.
The FF Plus has sent an urgent letter to the Mayor of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro Council (NMBM), Nqaba Bhanga, and the municipal manager, Anele Qaba, requesting them to meet with the various affected parties so as to find a suitable solution to the respective communities’ problems.
The FF Plus will continue to take action on behalf of NMBM residents and to fight for their right to quality service delivery.
Read the original article in Afrikaans by Bill Harington on FF Plus
