Municipality must practise what it preaches
Road dangerous without lights
ETHEKWINI residents have accused the municipality of dragging its feet in taking action over water leaks.
Some claimed that it took days, even weeks for the relevant department to attend to leaks and burst pipes, despite their diligence in reporting them.
City Watch visited two leaks in Sydenham and one in Woodlands.
Residents at an informal settlement on Foreman Road said they had had to live with a leaking pipe next to public toilets for months.
Nolwazi Shangase said her attempts to get the issue solved fell on deaf ears. “I have called numerous times but call centre agents told me it was difficult to locate the leak as this was an informal settlement with no street names,” she said.
Shangase said she had even offered to accompany municipal workers should they fail to locate the leak.
“I understand it’s difficult to get here. But I can assure you that the leak is visible to anyone who is serious about fixing it.
“Its not nice to see so much water wastage.”
On Burnwood Road, also in Sydenham, residents said a leak that was reported a week ago has yet to be fixed.
“The municipality should not talk to us about conserving water, they are failing us. The whole thing is a complete stuff up. We can play the blame game but at the end it’s always residents that suffer when water restrictions kick in,” one resident said.
“Litres of water going to waste and leaks are not being repaired even after being reported numerous times. We must save water yet it goes to waste, running down the streets.
The municipality should practise what they preach,” said another resident.
On Francis Place in Woodlands, residents said after days of reporting a water leak, municipal workers dug out the area and left a hole, but the leak was not stopped.
“It’s actually getting worse now because it’s just an open hole with water pouring out. It’s very concerning seeing such waste in a city that is ravaged by drought.
The municipality needs to take these leaks seriously, respond and fix them on time to avoid unnecessary waste,” said one resident.
Communications officer at the municipality Princess Nkabane, in an email said the city’s technical team attended to numerous water leaks.
“Some of the repaired pipes, have been found to have been tampered with. Illegal water connections are suspected, however we are still investigating,” the city said.
The city urged all residents to join the fight against illegal water connections by reporting such matters to 080 1313013 or sending a message on the Whatsapp Water Reporting Line number, 073 148 3477. Residents can also send an SMS to 43554 or email Eservices@durban.gov.za Zimasa Matiwane RESIDENTS of Kwadabeka are urging ethekwini Municipality to install street lights along Dumisani Makhaye Drive. A portion of the 4.8km road leads to the E and D sections. Since construction along the route was developed to link Kwamashu and Pinetown as part of the C3 corridor of the Go!durban integrated rapid public transport network, it has remained unlit.
Residents and motorists described it as dangerous.
Taxi driver Mncedisi Dlamini said: “We have a lot of road to cover with no lights, it’s frightening to suddenly see a child in your headlights, or a person coming out of nowhere because it’s dark.
“Vision is reduced at night, but it’s easy to forget that it takes time for eyes to adjust to darkness after being in a lit environment. Meanwhile, the headlights from other vehicles can also play havoc with night vision. It can be especially easy to miss the single headlight of a motorcyclist among the glare of brighter headlights.”
Ndu Kheswa said lights were a basic service, as important as having roads and access to water. “It’s quite scary at night time. I’m not sure why there have never been any installed there,” she said.
Kheswa said leaving work in the evening was particularly dangerous as she had to walk in the dark. She has resorted to asking people to accompany her home from the bus stop.
Thelma Nkosi, who drove at dusk and dawn, said she felt vulnerable as woman driver. “Imagine having a tyre puncture alone in the dark? It would be easy for hijackers. I exercise caution but such risks cannot be avoided because there are no street lights.” Residents said they had not raised the issue with the municipality as they did not know what channels to take.
“The municipality fixed this road, they know that they did not instal lights, we didn’t know that we had to remind them to provide a basic service. I guess most of us are living in hope that they eventually will get it right,” Dlamini said.
Communications officer Princess Nkabane said communities that would like additional street lights on public roads should e-mail custocare@ elec.durban.gov.za and give the city a clear description of the road. A planning technician will be sent to investigate and to decide if additional lights are justified.