Residents of Brackenhurst seem to have thrown in the towel after three years of unfulfilled promises from Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality. Ward 38 councillor Estelle Visser, however, refuses to accept defeat at the hands of tedious procurement procedures over repairs to the pedestrian bridge over Swartkoppies Road.
“This [bridge] was my first priority when I came into office in 2011,” a frustrated Visser told RECORD, adding that her predecessor, Maureen Ansett, had also prioritised the plight of the pedestrian bridge.
Although repair work hasn’t started, Visser did manage to arrange for the broken segment to be removed after it had been left at the side of the road for over a year.
“Let’s hope Ekurhuleni comes to the party and finally has the bridge fixed. We really hope it happens soon,” she said.
Ekurhuleni spokesperson Samuel Modiba said the bridge would be fixed by the end of this year.
Visser confirmed that the procurement order had now reached the tender bid evaluation committee which will appoint a contractor to undertake the repair work, citing an e-mail she received on July 23.
“The report to appoint consultants is with the bid evaluation committee. We are treating this project as a priority and we are hopeful to complete it before December, if nothing unforeseen happens,” Modiba was quoted as saying in April this year.
