Hazendal residents say they are outcasts as they experience poor service delivery from the City of Cape Town.
This comes as they claim the community is engulfed with crime and grime, making living conditions unbearable for many.
The area has long overgrown grass, neglected parks with equipment being vandalised and depleting of the infrastructure in the vicinity. It is also reported that the waste collection is a nightmare, resulting in illegal dumping in the area and leading to an influx of vagrants and creating a hiding den for drug addicts.
Hilton Munnik has spent most of his life in the community and he said, "We've always had the areas reasonably well serviced however over the last few years it's degraded.
"My concern is maintaining our grass verges, which are in a decrepit state. It is a fire hazard, as it is so dry. Yes, there are some of us who are able to cut and manicure, but even bin collections are not collected on time. Sometimes, its before 10am. Other times, it varies up to late afternoon, and often, the bins are then stolen" he said.
Another resident, who preferred to only be identified as Mandy, lives close to a play park and the canal, hears and witnesses many of the social ills, yet, attempts to get law enforcement to act have been to no avail.
"You hear people screaming for help as they are robbed in the morning. You'll see these people moving around and ,or preying by the canal, where they even put up structures, detouring even the appearance of our community. I can't recall how many times I had called for help, but no, neither the police. No, the Law Enforcement would pitch. This makes me wonder: in which city are we at? Do we even fall under the jurisdiction of the City of Cape Town because everyone else in the surroundings are serviced except for the Hazendal, especially the Bokmakierie and Jonathan areas? " Mandy said.
Faheem Taliep said the contractors that have been put in charge of cleaning the roads were nowhere to be found, and residents often had to clean up the roads themselves.
“I have suggested for Skips to be placed in key areas, and nothing has been done. All we want are the services that we, as the ratepayers, pay for,” Taliep said.
Ward councillor Shameemah Salie Dollie confirmed the lack of urgency from the City of Cape Town, saying it takes constant fight and push to get service delivery in the area, yet motivating residents to be vocal about their issues.
Mayco member for Community Services and Health, Patricia Van der Ross, said: "All customer complaints across the City are raised through the C3 notification system. Turnaround times to resolve complaints vary, depending on the nature of the request and resources available.
"Recreation and Parks is working closely with City’s Law Enforcement Department to help mitigate illegal dumping and vandalism or crime on public open spaces. Internal area teams are currently at work, reducing the backlog as an interim solution until contractors are deployed," said Van Der Ross.
Law Enforcement spokesperson, Wayne Dyason, said the City conducts as many patrols as resources allow, "but unfortunately, due to the demands on its services, it cannot have staff remain static at any one particular point for an indefinite amount of time. The City takes cognisance of the concerns of the community. From an enforcement perspective, it must be noted that the South African Police Service is the primary agency tasked with crime prevention."