Council ruined my house
Upgrading properties in Moses Kotane Road has meant the opposite for one City Watch reader who has waited a year for officials to repair damage done to her property in the operation
CITY Watch reader Bernadette Behrens is angry that a year after officials from the city’s roads and stormwater unit dug up her garden to upgrade stormwater pipes that run through her property her garden remains in disarray. But that is almost the least of her problems.
Behrens lives in Moses Kotane (Sparks) Road in Sydenham.
She said municipal officials had started the upgrade last year. Her home was one of a number that were affected by the upgrades.
“Workers started digging to locate pipes situated on residential properties. Having heavy machinery and workers on the property for five months was not a very pleasant experience, but because it had to be done, we put up with the inconvenience.” And there was plenty. “Our water pipes were damaged by the machinery throughout this time, and we would be without water for hours at a time. There would be days when the water would be turned off in the morning and the pipes only reconnected in the evening.”
She said sewer servitudes that run next to the stormwater servitude were also damaged in the upgrade.
“There were numerous sewer blockages. There were days when we or our neighbours could not open the doors and windows because piles of sewage-infested mud was left in huge piles on the property.
“It was a huge battle getting the contractors to replace the sewer pipes. They were only replaced in March this year, and we still had a problem with blockages, which the municipality had to come out to fix.”
Behrens said that “a lot of damage was done to her property during the upgrade”.
“The walls started cracking, gutters were broken, walls were covered in mud, and a window was also damaged.
“When the existing (front garden) wall was removed, my post box was taken down and never put up again.
“The postman now leaves the mail in the gate, and it gets blown all over the place when it’s windy, and wet if it rains.”
She said the eThekwini engineer in charge of the project said they would pave her property once they were done.
“They had dug out my lawn and flower beds to reach the pipes. Now there is sand and patches of grass. They haven’t come to tar my property.
“The pavement outside my home was also damaged and has not been fixed. They promised to get the property sorted out by Christmas last year, but still nothing has been done.”
She said that after many calls the municipality sent contractors to repair the cracks.
“They just painted over the cracks. And their shoddy work caused even more cracks. My home has become unsightly.”
Behrens said contractors asked her to sign letters saying she was happy with the work, which she refused to do.
“I am not happy with the work done. I am tired of begging the municipality to repair the property. There has never been any compensation for the servitudes running through the property, while our rates continue to increase,” she said.
Ward councillor Jethro Lefevre said he was aware of Behrens’s ongoing problem, and that he had forwarded the matter to the municipality.
“Her home was not the only one affected. Another resident in Knight Road also had problems, which I managed to resolve. I have forwarded Bernadette’s complaints to the relevant municipal officials and am awaiting a response. I will call the head engineer again regarding the issue.”
Tozi Mthethwa, head of the eThekwini communications unit, said the council was waiting for additional funding to complete the project, which included repairs.
This would address most of the issues raised by Behrens.
However, she said an engineer had visited Behrens’s home and said the cracks appeared to be old.
Any person may lodge a claim against the city for loss or damage as a result of wrongdoing on their part, but negligence must be proved.
Mthethwa has yet to deal with the other complaints. We are following this up.