Service-delivery issues pile up in Umbilo
Among residents gripes are broken street lights, weeds sprouting from the pavement and illegal dumping.
AN Umbilo business owner has taken matters into his own hands to keep his neighbourhood clean.
Kumar Batohi, who owns a bed and breakfast on Rick Turner Road, said there are several service delivery issues on his doorstep. Among his gripes are broken street lights, weeds sprouting from the pavement and illegal dumping.
Faulty street lights have left Batohi in the dark for months.
ALSO READ: eThekwini Municipality infrastructure damage reaches R1bil
“The whole intersection (Rick Turner Road and Bartle) is pitch-black at night. We put solar-panel lights on all the street corners, but at night, you can’t see anything,” he said.
Batohi noted that the substation adjacent to his property has been broken into several times. While lighting is an ongoing issue for Batohi, illegal dumping has cropped up recently, adding insult to injury. The businessman has found refuse, including old clothes and litter, being dumped on the island that separates Rick Turner Road’s west-bound and east-bound lanes.
“We are asking people to come on board – let’s start moving outside our homes and businesses and cleaning up,”said Batohi.
ALSO READ: Illegal dumping a crisis in Glenwood
Together with his staff, he aims to clean the pavements and island on Rick Turner Road, outside his B&B, from the Bartle Road intersection to the Umbilo Road intersection. As he takes up this task, he is hoping to encourage the broader community to join him in the initiative, saying ‘many hands make light work’.
“If you leave weeds, you end up with bushes growing (on the pavement) – if you don’t do anything, it gets worse. I’m asking people in the area to clean up in front of their properties – let’s take it upon ourselves to keep the area clean. Together we can make a difference,” concluded Batohi.
The eThekwini Municipality was not available for comment at the time this article went to press.
Caxton Local Media Covid-19 reporting Dear reader, As your local news provider, we have the duty of keeping you factually informed on Covid-19 developments. As you may have noticed, mis- and disinformation (also known as “fake news”) is circulating online. Caxton Local Media is determined to filter through the masses of information doing the rounds and to separate truth from untruth in order to keep you adequately informed. Local newsrooms follow a strict pre-publication fact-checking protocol. A national task team has been established to assist in bringing you credible news reports on Covid-19. Readers with any comments or queries may contact National Group Editor Irma Green (irma@caxton.co.za) or Legal Adviser Helene Eloff (helene@caxton.co.za). At the time of going to press, the contents of this feature mirrored South Africa’s lockdown regulations. 
Do you want to receive alerts regarding this and other Berea community news via Telegram? Send us a Telegram message (not an SMS) with your name and surname (ONLY) to 060 532 5409. You can also join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. PLEASE NOTE: If you have signed up for our news alerts you need to save the Telegram number as a contact to your phone, otherwise you will not receive our alerts. Here’s where you can download Telegram on Android or Apple.
