Residents of Ridgeview Gardens at Cato Manor in Durban are threatening to embark on a protest action and evict the owner of a trucking company operating in their residential area.
They say they are bearing the brunt of traffic jams, crashes, toxic emissions, illegal parking, and damage to their homes.
The residents say for the past four years complaints have been lodged with the eThekwini Municipality, but they appear to have fallen on deaf ears.
The Ridgeview Gardens Committee chairperson, Dumisani Mathonsi, says some residents are suffering from health complications due to the dust and emissions.
“This operation is a health hazard to the community. When the matter was brought to the owner’s attention, he just disregards people. We were told by the municipality that it has now been escalated to the Magistrate’s Court according to Metro (council).”
“We have a situation that is getting out of hand because the Metro (council) cannot help us, and the Magistrate’s Court can’t help us. That is [why] now people want to march, protest and physically remove him and take him out of the community,” says Mathonsi.
Meanwhile, the Ward councillor, Bhekisisa Mngadi, says efforts are being made to relocate the trucking company.
“We told him that he must move out from the area. The residents don’t want him to operate there. There is dust and their houses were built on places not strong enough. We are aware that those houses are hanging over, but we told him to retain those houses and make it perfect. I am still waiting for him to respond that he has a place somewhere he can operate from,” adds Mngadi.
