AGM 28 March

The Annual General Meeting will be held on Wednesday 28 March at the Parkhurst Primary School Hall starting at 6.30 for 7pm. Refreshments and food will be available at a nominal price.

This is your chance to have your say and vote for the new committee. Residents are encouraged to join up and take an active part in helping to shape the destiny of the suburb. If you want to stand for Committee, let our secretary Ros know: rusdin@iafrica.com or 011-880-1307.

Over 60s Tea Party

Parkhust is not only full of young yuppies, buppies and Ladies that do Lunch. There are still a reasonably large number of ordinary people who purchased their houses years ago and lead a normal modest life. Many have passed on or moved to a retirement complex. But there are still quite a few who still live in Parkhurst.

A few years ago, Michael Capela of Nan Roberts Estates combined with the PVRA in organising the annual over 60s tea party and it has grown to become one of Parkhurst's institutions.

This year’s do will be held at the Parkhurst Primary School on Saturday 24 February, starting at 1pm. It is free to ALL Parkhurst residents over 60 years of age.

There will be a finger lunch followed by a talk by Peter Goodwin of The Colourful Nursery Group on “Colouring Your Winter Garden” who will also be offering some great gardening prizes in a draw. After mid-afternoon tea and cake there will be some live entertainment followed by a 2nd Prize Draw.

Parkhurst's resident local historian and PVRA committee member, Tim Truluck, will also be there and will welcome any old pictures and stories from Parkhurst’s past

Please contact our Secretary Ros on 011-880-1307 or rusdin@iafrica.com if you want to come along so we can cater correctly. Also contact her if you need a lift.

Waste Collection Dates

Pikitup - Every Monday. This is the general trash collection day. Put your black wheely bins out the night before or on the morning only.

Resolution Recycling - Every OTHER Monday (26 Feb; 12 & 26 March; 9 & 23 April; 7 & 21 May): They collect your recyclable waste (ie paper, metal, batteries, printer cartridges, plastic, glass) that you place in their Blue & Green wheely bins. Info: Cost is R360/year, 011-618-2246 or resolutionrecycling@54.co.za

Mondi Ronnie Bags - Every OTHER Wednesday (28 Feb; 14 & 28 March; 11 & 25 April; 9 & 23 May). Waste Paper Kerb side collections.

Complaints Desk

The PVRA office number is being relaunched as a Complaints / Help desk. Complaints and queries will be directed to the relevant person who will be able to help in the suburb. But, this service is ONLY available to MEMBERS of the PVRA.

If you are a resident, but haven't joined the PVRA or are in arrears re your membership, you will be asked to join and/or pay up first. The PVRA Committee and helpers are all volunteers who rely on the R20 a month membership to cover the expenses of running the Association.

For more details on membership or any complaints or queries contact Ros at rusdin@iafrica.com or 011-880-1307.

Become Pro-Active

While the PVRA are here for the residents of Parkhurst, we are volunteers who often do not have the time to handle all the complaints. It is time for residents to take charge of some of the issues that crop up in the suburb. There are a few numbers that you should know and have written down next to your telephone or in your contact list on your cell phone.

If you see something that is a municipal problem like a leaky valve in the street, illegal dumping, a street sign that has fallen down, etc. Then just pick up the phone and call one of the numbers below.

011-375-5555: Joburg Connect Call Centre. Water Leaks, Account Enquries, Road Repairs, Broken Signs, Electricity Outages, Garbage Collection, City Parks, etc. This is the one that leads you to the City Council call centre. It is usually not too busy, and in many cases they will attend to the problem quite quickly. However, not all the departments in the city as efficient as each other so take notes and record your reference number and contact us if you are receiving no success.

011-718-9612: People's Centre. This is the link between the City and the People and is actually quite effective. They are located on the hill behind the SABC in Auckland Park and often resolve issues for you without having to go into the City Council office in downtown Joburg.

011-375-5911: Metro Police Hotline. This is who you phone for bylaw violations such as building on a Sunday, dogs barking, sidewalk violations, illegal businesses in houses, street trees being illegally cut down etc.

011-712-6600: City Parks Hotline

011-688-1500: City Water Hotline

011-486-5000: Parkview Police

011-728-1220: Joburg Roads Hotline

011-486-1926/083-775-2709: DA Councillor Sharon Sabbagh.

Meter Readings

Many of us are at work during the day and so when the meter readers visit Parkhurst around the 13th of each month we are not at home. This results in an estimate for electricity being taken and you are charged an average amount each month.

This leads to two possible problems: (1) You are paying much too much for your electricity if the estimates were based on your winter consumption; or (2) You are paying much too little if your estimates are based on your summer consumption.

This causes problems if you sell your house or move. Trying to get money out the city is very trying, and, conversely, having to pay in a large amount to settle your bill on top of the other expenses involved in relocating.

To avoid these issues, I call 3 or 4 times a year to manually submit my meter reading to Micromega, the company who are contracted to collect our meter readings.

The procedure is easy. Around the 10-15th of the month call 011-827-3455 and ask for the Parkhurst reader. The first time you will have to give them your account number and they will then give you your own reference number which you quote from then on.

You will see on your next bill that your account has been adjusted in my case I usually get a R1500 credit as I am a winter month estimate.

Parkhurst’s Dirty Little Secret

I lived in 17th Street for 4 years and always wondered why certain houses halfway up the road were always on the market every couple of years or so. It was only when I started researching the history of the suburb, that I found out that not all the houses and parts of Parkhurst were created equally. There are good areas and bad areas and one of the bad areas are the houses lying over the now hidden Parkhurst Donga.

Underneath Parkhurst, there is a network of storm water drains that carry stormwater and anything dumped in the streets (like trash, old bottles, engine oil, swimming pool water, dog pooh, etc) to the Braamfontein Spruit. And underneath the water drainage channels, they also carry much of our sewerage down to the main sewerage pipe that runs along the western bank of the Spruit.

This system was started in the southern end of Parkhurst (ie Little Chelsea and the streets running up to about 16th Street) in 1930s and completed in the northern end (16-22 Streets) by the early 1950s when the suburb was finally fully developed.

50-70 years on and things have changed. The sewerage system has aged; trees have got bigger and are causing problems with their roots; more of the suburb has been concreted and paved which increases run-off; never ending building means sand and pebbles are carried into the system; and new granny flats and en suite bathrooms increase the waste water load. All this has meant that our underground water systems have become overloaded and degraded.

By far the worst offender in the Parkhurst pollution stakes is the infamous Parkhurst Donga. This donga runs diagonally for several kilometres from the intersection with the Braamfontein Spruit between 19th and 20th Streets where it crosses into Parktown North around 13th Street and then continues into Rosebank. Until it was canalised and eventually covered in the 1950s, it effectively cut off the northern third of Parkhurst from development.

The properties that straddled this donga were the last to sell in Parkhurst. The sites were difficult to develop as they were muddy and prone to flooding. The best example of these difficulties is evident at the Moth Hall on the corner of 16th /15th Streets and 2nd Avenue. The Moths were given 3 unsaleable stands to build a hall by the then township owner, African Realty Trust. The hall is built adjacent to the donga at an angle on the stands. Most of the digging for the foundation work was carried out by hand as the tractor that was used kept on sinking into the mud.

Eventually the donga was covered over by an expensive system of concrete decking, houses and roads were built over it and gardens planted on it. And now it has been forgotten. Or has it?

When I walked up the donga for a couple of kilometres with a caving friend 2 years ago, I saw 1st hand what is going on underground. In many cases, the stormwater run off has caused erosion and damage along with greater sewerage loads which essentially means that the waste water is being mixed with storm water and being dumped into the Braamfontein Spruit.

The further one goes in, the smellier and more fetid it becomes. By the time the waste water reaches the lower parts of Parkhurst, it is carrying a smelly mix of pulverised pooh and toilet paper. It is no wonder that we have a smelly river which has a highly polluted hotspot as it runs through Parkhurst.

In early 2007, one of the Parkhurst residents contacted me regarding an awful smell permeating through her house. An industrial cleaning company couldn't find anything wrong and suggested it was her dog poohs in the garden. The drains were flushed. Nothing worked. I took her to 5th Ave between 19th and 20th Streets where the donga is uncovered and she confirmed that it was the same smell that is in her house.

Other residents I have asked who live over the donga confirmed that they often have an unpleasant damp problem. I know that the Moth Hall floods every 3 years or so, and I think that if we were to get a lot of rain in over Parktown North / Rosebank area, the houses built over the donga would be in danger of flooding.

And I haven't even begun to talk about the para-psychological issues of living over running water… So be aware that not all of Parkhurst is desireable. I suppose the old adage of Let the Buyer Beware is still valid today.

Parkhurst's Postie

I tracked down Richard Holt striding through our streets. He is one 3 postmen in Parkhurst. A postie for 16 years, he tends to the boxes from 15th to 22nd Street. It takes him 2½ hours to drop off the mail on a normal day and an hour longer if it is the day for the municipal bills to be delivered.

His pet peeves are dogs that aren't kept inside the properties. If your pooch is out, you won't get you mail that day. He reckons that about 10% of the houses don't have letterboxes. That means that you end up with soggy letters and bills blowing around you garden and in the street in front of the house.

And for those who know their history - he is no relative of the Joburg city Councillor David Holt, for whom Holt Street in Parkhurst was named.

Map Shop

I was stranded in Craighall the other day while my car was being repaired. After donating blood and eating lunch at the Colony, I decided to explore the shops in Jan Smuts Avenue. One of the shops I found was the “Maps 4 Africa” located at 354 Jan Smuts Ave diagonally opposite The Colony. Apart from stocking all the street guides, they have wall maps, topographical maps, international travel guides (and maps), geological maps, and more maps.
So, if you need a map, pop in for a visit. Info: 011-787-2751 or maps4africa@excelnet.co.za

Iburst

For those of us who have been battling with Telkom (as I write this on 12 February I have had no ADSL since 11 January and no Telkom line since 31 January), IBurst, the wireless Internet service provider may be installing a base station in Parkhurst. I can't wait.

Bins - Double Billing

Due to me not having Internet or Telephone lines, I haven't done anything with the over billing of bins that was sent to me by various residents. So if you are being charged more than R6.10 for your bin on your rates and services bill, send them by e-mail to info@parkhurst.co.za or drop off a photocopy of the bill at the Nan Roberts Estates office in 4th Ave (next to the Friendly Shop). It looks like we might have to go to the Consumer Council on this one.

Dumpsite - Early Closing

There have been recent reports in the local press about the Pikitup Victory Road Recycling Site being closed during the day and people being rudely chased away. However, from my experience, they have been offering a good service since their revamp a few years ago.

But they do get full from time to time - especially at weekends. So the trick is to get there early - say before 10am. If they are closed and you are bringing recycling waste such as glass, plastic, paper, batteries or want to buy compost, tell them at the gate and they will let you in.
They are open 7 days a week, 7am-7pm.

Builder / Developer of the Year

Driving around the suburb on an inspection tour of the streets in early February, the PVRA noted that the suburb seems to be looking very nice. There are still lots of builders at work, but they generally seemed to keeping their sites clean and well managed.

In the light of this we have decided to instigate an award for the Best Builder or Developer working in the suburb. It makes a nice change from always having to gird our loins to take on builders who are operating illegally.

The award for 2006 goes to developer Chris Bailey and his builder Eric Moran who have been developing the stand on the corner of 16th Street and 3rd Avenue. It is the 3rd property in Parkhurst they have worked on and are about to start on another in 19th Street soon.

When they started on the site, they were given a copy of the builder's charter which is a distillation of the various rules and regs that builders have to comply with. Rules such as no building on Sundays, keeping the sidewalks clean, etc. And they have complied to the letter and even gone beyond what they were legally entitled to comply with.

They have constructed a bespoke high quality 3 bedroomed 400m2 house on the site with high quality finishes. It should be on the market priced in the late 3 millions around the end of February. So, on show day, go and be a nosy neighbour and see what can be done in the suburb.

Recommended Builders

Leading on from the above award, we are constantly getting bombarded with complaints and problems regarding builders from people who contract them to the residents who have problems with their neighbour's builders.

There are lots of dodgy builder's out there. So if you know of any builders, plumbers, electricians, etc then let us know and we will keep a list on our website.

Crime & Security

Greg Margolis has reported that the crime situation is steadily improving, but be aware that there is still crime in our suburbs. He says that we need to be aware of unknown people hanging around in the street, make sure your property is well lit at night and watch out for people following you home. Also beware of being too regular in your habits - vary your routine as much as possible. He sent in the following incidents:

There was a recent fatal shootout near the northern end of 5th Ave. A hijacked vehicle was chased by police from Parktown North into Parkhurst where they were blocked by police. One hijacker was shot and killed on the spot and the 2nd escaped into the Spruit area despite being shot in the stomach.

On 27 January the Parkview Police mounted an inspection of the Building Sites in the precinct. Presumably this was to check for illegal workers and not illegal buildings.

Community Spirit

Hayley Saks has been appointed the Chair of the PVRA's Community Spirit Portfolio. Welcome aboard Hayley and we look forward to attending some of the events you have planned. She can be contacted on 082-332-8376 or hsaks@icon.co.za

Old Vet’s Building

The house that was the Parkhurst Village Vet in 4th Ave was sold to the same person who bought the adjacent former Medical Practice. The new owner will soon be developing the site and has applied for permission to rezone it for business purposes. We are working with them to ensure we get a suitable development there.

Trees

The street trees in the suburb have undergone their ritualised hacking by agents working for the Electricity Department. Unfortunately, there is nothing we can really do about it as we all need electricity and the trees have to be pruned to ensure they don't damage the lines.

The piles of branches that littered the roads for a few weeks are now gone - they were left there as the shredder wasn't working and they had to be laboriously stacked into a truck instead.

Luckily, most of the trees were chosen 50 years ago as street trees because they are able to withstand the pruning. Unfortunately, if you have a more delicate indigenous tree on your verge, then it may not survive regular severe pruning.

10th St Bridge

The battle continues for the repair the light at the bottom of 9th Street near the footbridge in the Parkhurst enclave that lies to the west of the Spruit. There was a nasty robbery attempt there in January. Lets hope that the relevant city department pulls its finger out and fixes this longstanding 4 year problem.

Pavements

There has been some whinging and whining on 702 Talk Radio about the sidewalks being “prettied” and developed by residents. We know that this is a problem and the City has earmarked several million rand to develop our streets and one component is reclaiming the sidewalks. But, the City has become bogged down in the legalities of how to go about removing the offending hard landscaping that has blocked the sidewalks. So nothing happens…