Filthy canal a hazard ahead of Ramadaan

A Parkwood community leader fears a filthy canal will attract vermin such as flies when she serves the pots of food she will be cooking to Muslims breaking their fast during Ramadaan, which starts next week.

Yasmine Abrahams, founder of Jabulani Community Centre, in Parkwood, has been feeding the community for 11 years at the centre. “I have been cooking for the community for over 30 years in all at different venues, including the mosques, but I’ve been cooking at the centre for 11 years.”

Ms Abrahams said she fears that the community will get sick if the food is contaminated. “I have asked the City to clean the canal and they came on February 12, but they were unfortunately robbed by criminals in the area. The City officials did not come back,” she told Southern Mail on Monday March 4.

Ms Abrahams said she had rallied the community’s children to volunteer to clean up the canal. “Children have been cleaning the canal without protective gear such as safety boots and masks. I want to appeal to the City to come and see how they’ve cleaned the canal.”

However, the canal is still strewn with filth and Ms Abrahams said if the City does not come to clean up by Thursday March 7, she will make sure the community steps in again to clear the rubble. “My reputation would be ruined if I feed the community food and they get sick due to contamination.”

Keith Blake, community leader of Ottery, said Ms Abrahams approached him about the filthy canal.

“Mr Abrahams is the Mother Teresa of Parkwood who feeds the community daily despite financial constraints. She is dedicated to making sure healthy food is distributed free of charge to the vulnerable community.”

Mr Blake said, “hordes of flies were emanating from the dirty, stinky, smelly canal behind Jabulani and under Blackbird Avenue into Parkwood. These flies are a plague for the kitchens and the feeding hall of Jabulani.

“Why is the canal looking like this in the first place? That canal should be monitored. Dirty water leads to all kinds of diseases and some children play in that dirty water. Why is the canal in the state that it is in? What is the City doing about this.”

Councillor Zahid Badroodien, mayoral committee member for water and sanitation, said: “The City’s Catchment, Stormwater and River Management (CRSM) branch’s machine operators were robbed at gunpoint in Parkwood. As a result, they were withdrawn from the site.

“The City has since scheduled EPWP labour from within the community to carry out a manual labour clean-up.

“Due process is under way so it is anticipated the contractor should be on site by mid-March.”