Response to offer of help on Gonubie potholes no laughing matter

MR VINCENT Pillay, thank you for giving me something to laugh about (“Red tape thwarts pothole plan” DD, December 21).

We must commend you on your sense of humour – calling our roads an “ASSET” of Buffalo City Metro.

When last did you take stock of your “assets”? Year after year we see them deteriorate. They are in an appalling condition and little is done about it. In some suburbs the roads are almost non-existent.

How did this become such a problem? Someone is surely not looking after these “assets”?

You are given an opportunity by concerned ratepayers to accept their help in repairing this parking area – a focal point for holidaymakers in Gonubie – and, surprise surprise, the help is turned down! Where is the logic?

Thank you Andre Swart of the residents and ratepayers forum and Roy Angelbeck for trying to make the beach parking area in Gonubie an asset! — Antoinette HartKruger, Gonubie

INSTEAD of welcoming the offer by residents of the once lovely suburb of Gonubie to repair potholes at the Gonubie beach parking area – which we all are ashamed of – Buffalo City Metro’s chief financial officer Vincent Pillay’s negative reply is that “the roads are BCM assets and any rehabilitation of the assets has an impact on the life of the asset”.

There can be no negative impact on any asset which has long since passed its sellby-date and which has no life left.

And, indeed, if the size of some of the potholes are taken into consideration, they can only be described as dangerous, if not life-threatening, for unwary motorists.

The metro should give its blessing to this proposal without hesitation!

I am sure that should Andre Swart and residents and ratepayers associations proceed without metro approval and this matter is taken to court, any fair-minded magistrate would rule in favour of the ratepayers, as it is obvious that the municipality cannot cope and fulfil its obligations as it is expected to do.

Your answer Mr Pillay, simply does not meet the needs in Gonubie!

Our new mayor could be more forceful and take it upon himself to reply to Mr Swart in the affirmative. — DJ Michau, Gonubie

“RED tape thwarts pothole plan” was the headline of an article (DD, December 21) that went on to say Gonubie residents wanted to repair and fill in potholes in the parking area at Gonubie beach but BCM would not allow this.

I phoned my friend Archie at BCM to ask him what on earth the problem could be.

Archie came back to me to say BCM had a strict policy not to do any maintenance or repair any of its buildings or roads as this would obviously decrease the value of that asset. Makes sense to me. — John Batting, via e-mail

I AM writing as a last resort. I am aware of the huge challenges faced by our Buffalo City Metro, regarding fixing the potholes on our roads. I fully respect the concept of restoring the imbalances of the past.

But I can't accept that despite me trying to contact BCM many times in different ways, the potholes on Dorset Road and the surrounding roads on the east side of Chamberlain Road in Vincent, have not been attended to for the past year.

I have sent e-mails forwarded with the help of our ward councillor, Isabel Thompson; reported the potholes on the recently advertised BCM App and made numerous attempts to report potholes by making (unanswered) phone calls.

As a taxpaying citizen, how long are we expected to wait? Till after the local government elections next year?

I expect a responsible authority from BCM to respond and give us a time-frame that will be adhered to.— Dr Milind Chitnis, Vincent WITH the festive season upon us and visitors here from all major provinces expecting to have a wonderful holiday along the sunshine coast, residents of Kayser’s Beach and surrounding areas are once again, yes, once again, without water.

They have been informed that the Amatola Municipality is on strike – and that is the reason why no water is being pumped into the holding reservoir.

Only residents with rain water tanks (which are running pretty low) have access to water and are now supplying it to rural residents in the area.

This seems to be an ongoing problem in this area, affecting people as far as Chalumna and surrounds.

With no rain predicted for the next two weeks, the situation could become dire. No arrangements seem to have been made for water to be trucked in. This is an unacceptable situation and needs addressing urgently. — Lorian Page, Kayser’s Beach AFTER three weeks the only progress made by Buffalo City Metro about grasscutting in the open field opposite Grens High School in Baysville, around the bridge leading to Southernwood and along the north-eastern expressway, is that some of the grass edges alongside a gutter were trimmed, on or around December 9, by one lone worker.

I have tried to contact the councillor, Wiekie Barnard, who is supposed to represent the Baysville area and have left a message on her phone, but am still awaiting feedback on this unresolved issue.

A second issue is the electricity and water accounts for this month? Where are they? Nothing received and nobody answers any of the metro numbers – (043) 705-2000; 705-3384; 705-3080 or 705-3087 – in order for one to try to get an outstanding balance.

Is the party so good in the switchboard room tucked away on the fifth floor, that it is too much trouble to answer the lines that people are paid to do? — GH Moore, Baysville occupies every space.

Then, there is the stream of dirty water with fungi in it, that has been dribbling for almost a year without any intervention down Alexander Road opposite the Spar, not far from Grey Hospital.

Over the past two months, I have been to the Northern Cape, Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal and have experienced the opposite of what is taking place – or not taking place – here in our space.

For some of us, with our loved one’s coming, iQonce is lihlazo eli (an embarrassment). Can our honourable Buffalo City Metro mayor kindly come to our rescue as soon as possible and see what strategies are available to bring back the pride to this place. Please, help us, as members of this province, to hold our heads up high. — M Charles, King William’s Town