Latest news with #HenrietteFrohlich
IOL News
20-07-2025
- IOL News
Successful relocation of Erasmuskloof squatters marks a new beginning for Wolwespruit wetland
The City of Tshwane has relocated residents of an illegal squatter camp in Erasmuskloof to Pienaarspoort, resolving years of complaints about crime and pollution in the area. Image: Supplied The City of Tshwane has successfully relocated residents of an illegal squatter camp in Erasmuskloof, Pretoria East, to Pienaarspoort after years of complaints from local residents about increased crime, cable theft, and pollution. The squatter camp, which had occupied the Wolwespruit wetland for over two decades, was home to approximately 300 people. Local councillor Andrew Lesch described the situation as a long-standing struggle, with court orders previously blocking the eviction of settlers from the wetland in Erasmuskloof. 'Since 2023 we have put a lot of effort to get all the people together to resettle the community. This environment is a wetland and it is not conducive for people to stay here. But also we have seen a lot of crime in the area and especially cable theft that has been taking place on this premises and within this community,' he said. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ He said the site of the former squatter camp has been secured and handed over to the Public Investment Corporation, which is expected to begin the rehabilitation process soon, aiming to restore the wetland area and address any environmental damage caused by the illegal occupation. ActionSA Councilor Henriette Frohlich welcomed the removal of illegal squatters from the Wolwespruit wetland, located near Solomon Mahlangu Drive and Delmas Road. She said after years of legal battles with human rights lawyers attempting to block the city's eviction efforts, the Wolwespruit wetland has finally been cleared of illegal squatters and secured. The achievement, she said, is expected to stimulate property development in the surrounding areas, including Erasmuskloof, Moraleta Park, and Mooikloof. 'The first illegal squatters reportedly moved to Wolwespruit wetland nearly 20 years ago. It was never classified as an informal settlement, and was thus not included on the Upgrading of Informal Settlement Programme. By the time eviction notices were issued in November 2021, about 192 households were recorded, of which 110 were South African, 67 Basotho and 15 Zimbabweans,' she said. She said the illegal occupants survived on waste sorting, begging and piece jobs in the suburbs. Frohlich said: 'In July 2022, the City of Tshwane started to act on a court application to demolish the shacks and relocate the occupiers to Orchards Extension 10, but the illegal squatters refused to be moved. The City then requested the court to grant an urgent eviction order to evict or relocate the occupiers, but the urgent eviction application was dismissed with costs due to lack of urgency.' She explained that the new eviction application was then placed on a normal court role, and voluntary relocation forms distributed to the illegal squatters for submission. 'Only 70 South Africans were verified, most of whom have now been relocated to Pienaarspoort,' she said. AfriForum said its recent submission of a comprehensive report detailing the impact of the illegal dwellings to the city contributed to the successful relocation of the squatters. 'The occupation of this area has caused serious problems such as an increase in crime, cable theft and pollution, which has been exacerbated by illegal recycling and dumping. This has damaged the environment almost beyond repair. However, efforts have now begun to rehabilitate this area,' the organisation said.
The Citizen
08-07-2025
- General
- The Citizen
Push for better service delivery in Centurion
The Tshwane metro is working to improve the quality and consistency of service delivery in Centurion with a range of targeted maintenance efforts and long-term structural reforms. This is according to MMC for Corporate and Shared Services, Kholofelo Morodi, who recently outlined the metro's ongoing initiatives in Region 4, where several areas are currently benefiting from a range of daily maintenance operations. She said streetlight maintenance was completed in wards 69, 78, 65, 48, 57, 61, and 64 between June 30 and July 5. 'Areas that received attention during this period include Eldoraigne, Zwartkop, Highveld, Lyttelton, Erasmia, Laudium, Rooihuiskraal, and The Reeds,' said Morodi. Dear residents of Centurion we are happy to announce that after many years of the failed Da Tshwane administration our Centurion R55 street lights are on . We continue to correct the Da 8 years mess #EFFinGovernment — Obakeng COT MMC Environmental Agriculture . (@RamaboduObakeng) July 2, 2025 'At the same time, stormwater infrastructure was serviced in wards 61, 77, 57, and 70, covering locations such as Laudium, Olievenhoutbosch, Sunderland Ridge, Wierdapark, and Lyttelton.' Morodi said grass cutting was conducted between July 1 and 4 in wards 57, 65, 64, 61, and 69, including Die Hoewes, Highveld, Laudium, Rooihuiskraal, and Eldoraigne. Just received work that @CityTshwane Region 4 Urban Management team is cutting grass at Lenchen and Magiel Street, Hennopspark today. Thank you for logging the call🙏🏼 — Henriette Frohlich (@henriettefroh) June 30, 2025 'Tree pruning took place in Pierre van Ryneveld, Wierdapark, The Reeds, and Eldoraigne, that fall within wards 70, 64, 69, and 79.' Thank you, @CityTshwane Region 4 Urban Management Team for trimming trees that were touching overhead wires at Villagers Lane, Irene. #CenturionMatters — Henriette Frohlich (@henriettefroh) June 23, 2025 She added that these functions form part of daily operations in the metro and are not tied to a fixed project timeline. 'Maintenance work takes place every day and includes potholes, tree pruning, grass cutting, stormwater, and streetlights. 'Our goal is to ensure equitable service delivery to all areas without prejudice,' she said. To strengthen internal capacity and reduce reliance on private contractors, Morodi confirmed that on June 3, the metro has acquired additional cherry pickers, as part of its plan to purchase 100 in total. Good morning Tshwane. We've have just unveiled 14 Cherry Pickers that will be distributed to our regional teams to enhance service delivery. This first batch of 14 vehicles forms part 100 that we expect in this financial year. For years, our workforce has grappled with a shortage… — Dr Nasiphi Moya (@nasiphim) June 3, 2025 'The cherry pickers are a vital part of improving electricity and streetlight repairs, while also supporting functions such as tree pruning. It's part of a broader strategy to enhance in-house capability and cut unnecessary costs,' she said. The metro has also refurbished and reopened the Pretorius Park Depot, which will now focus on servicing water, sanitation, and electricity vehicles. 'The depot, previously shut due to a shift toward outsourcing, now boasts modern technology that can identify driver negligence and ensure accountability through improved supervision. 'This is a key move toward ensuring quicker response times and better control over municipal resources,' Morodi added. She added that to further support parks and horticultural services, the metro recently allocated R11-million to procure tools and equipment across all seven regions. She said the metro has started purchasing a total of 687 various tools and equipment, such as ride-on rotary mowers, mechanical hedge pruners, chainsaws, brush cutters, and pole pruners. Good morning Tshwane. Today, we are arming our workforce with tools of the trade. We are handing over handover the first batch of over 450 pieces of horticultural equipment to further accelerate service delivery throughout our city. This equipment will be distributed across our 7… — Dr Nasiphi Moya (@nasiphim) July 2, 2025 In Olievenhoutbosch, resident Sizakhele Skhosana said she was pleased to see recent repairs to streetlights near the clinic on Legong Street. 'Walking in the early morning darkness was a daily reality for many of us. I had to take my children to the clinic before sunrise, and it was terrifying.' She recalled instances where she had to hold her breath and walk fast every time she heard footsteps behind her. 'Since the lights were fixed, things have changed. I finally feel safe on those streets. It's a big relief, and I hope the city keeps it up,' said Skhosana. Ward 106 Councillor, Kenneth Masha, confirmed the repairs and said he was informed ahead of the work on both Legong and Rethabile streets, and this allowed him to monitor progress. However, he expressed concern over communication gaps with city officials. 'Some maintenance work is well executed, but too often the teams don't inform us. That makes it hard to track what's been done and to give accurate feedback to residents. 'I understand the MMC acts on input from the regional councillors' forum, and I can't fault her for that, but the ground-level teams must improve their coordination with councillors.' In Valhalla, resident Isaiah Le Roux said he's noticed improvements, but believes the metro still has work to do. 'It's clear the metro is trying, and we appreciate the effort, but we need better communication. We often don't know what's happening until it's already done, or until we notice something hasn't been fixed.' Councillors from other wards shared concerns about inconsistent delivery. Ward 69 Councillor Cindy Billson said some backfilling had been completed, but other work was done poorly. 'Streetlight maintenance in June focused mostly on Ward 70, not ours. I've approved two community projects where residents will handle their own streetlight installations, and we're planning a larger one for the ward,' she said. In her update to residents on her June 2025 Region 4 report, Billson mentioned that 49 out of 99 pothole repair requests in Ward 69 had been addressed and completed, but that five service trenches remain open. 'On electricity, the number of abnormal feeder cables has dropped from 107 in October 2023 to 41 in May 2025.' Billson added that vandalism of substations continues to contribute to power outages. 'Water service performance has been more positive, with 87 out of 103 complaints resolved in May, and all 30 wastewater complaints fully addressed.' Ward 70 Councillor Marika Kruger Muller criticised the current process for streetlight maintenance prioritisation. 'Councillors are asked to pick three or four streets for repairs, which I believe is unfair. That system ignores long-standing complaints and opens the door to favouritism. 'I also receive complaints about unresolved issues that are marked as fixed, and that's very worrying.' Ward 64 Councillor Alta de Kock said with the recent maintenance work, little impact was felt in her ward. 'Only one block had grass cut. Streetlights are still a major concern, and cable theft is another huge issue. One of the traffic lights has been out for more than a week. Substation security is a priority right now.' Ward 57 Councillor David Farquharson said some parks had been maintained well and a few streetlights fixed, but overall progress has been slow. 'There's a major reorganisation underway to split water and electricity into separate departments under a regional operations centre. 'That could be positive, but right now water repairs are taking too long, and that's concerning.' Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to [email protected] or phone us on 083 625 4114. For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord's websites: Rekord East For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram or TikTok. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
