Anger over condition and lack of repair work on busy road
THERE is nothing more frustrating than driving on an uneven road surface for motorists using Entabeni Road, in Sarnia near Pinetown.
Road users are angry over the deplorable condition of the road which they said could cause serious accidents and damage to their vehicles. They stressed that the road was in an unacceptable condition as vehicles could not use the extreme left lane of the busy road as a result of the poor condition.
Concerned motorist Rickey Pandaram claimed that a few years ago all the surrounding roads were resurfaced by the municipality, but, for some strange reason, Entabeni Road was left out.
“More and more road accidents can be attributed to the condition of this road. The Entabeni Road serviced hundreds of residential homes and four large complexes.
“The biggest complex, Paradise Valley, has 450 units and they all have vehicles. We have experienced some serious accidents. “There are large volumes of traffic and, as ratepayers, we deserve to be treated fairly,” he said.
On some parts of the road, potholes were filled with sand and the situation worsened when it rained. They pleaded with the municipality to resurface the entire road.
Another resident, Rishi Deo, said the road condition had worsened since no repairs had been done.
“Some time ago a few of the city workers came to inspect the condition of the road, but since then there hasn’t been any work done,” said Deo.
City spokesperson Tozi Mthethwa said Entabeni Road did not appear on the current rehabilitation programme, but the relevant unit was inspecting city roads and the results would be used for the next two-year programme. IN AN attempt to improve cleanliness and hygiene in the city of Durban, this week ethekwini mayor Zandile Gumede launched the Mayoral Healthy City initiative to address some of the challenges the city faced.
The initiative would focus on improving the level of cleanliness, environmental protection and socio-economic development.
Speaking at the launch, Gumede said this would be achieved by mobilising city departments to form partnerships with various stakeholders to establish a consultative forum to look at health, safety, enforcement of by-laws and environmental issues.
The city proposed to embark on a 12-month pilot programme, targeting specific streets in the inner-city, to bring together stakeholders from each street to implement the renewal plan.
Gumede called on all the people of Durban to support the Healthy City initiative as a strategic intervention.
City’s spokesperson, Tozi Mthethwa, said the initiative was also aimed at supporting existing services and various efforts aimed at maintaining and improving living conditions.
Mthethwa said, according to the World Health Organisation, being a healthy city depended on a commitment to improving the environs and a willingness to forge the necessary connections in political, economic and social arenas.
“A majority of the city’s units have their own education structures with dedicated personnel , such as Durban Solid Waste, (DSW) Metro Police and Water and Sanitation.
“We want to create a