A RESIDENT on the Berea is out of pocket and is afraid rain will destabilise parts of her property because of a stormwater drainage problem.
Simmone Bouch said she purchase her Esselmont Road home in November last year and within the first month, she realised there was a huge problem with the municipal stormwater drainage system. “I was asleep when it started raining and heard what sounded like a fast moving river rushing through the back yard, it was scary! After investigating it the following day I found huge mounds of red sand all along my patio, I realised it was the stormwater coming from Cowey Road, possibly even Musgrave and Essenwood coming through a wall of a property in Cowey Road and down to my back yard,” the fed up resident said.
Months of calls and emails trying to get the municipality to assist her to fix the pavement which seems to be the cause of the problem have been futile. “The problem is an old tree root has lifted the paving outside a home directly behind my house on Cowey Road. When it rains now, all the storm water that should pass that home and go to the drain now detours down the driveway of the home taking with it a ton of red sand and dumps it on my patio!”
Bouch said the ongoing problem over the years has caused excessive damage to an outbuilding which houses outside toilets, which can not be used any longer as the building is collapsing and is a hazard. Bouch said she is fearful of rain despite the drought because it means her outbuilding might “collapse in a sinkhole.” She is completely confounded because attempts to sort the problem out with her insurance were useless as assessors told her it was caused by the municipality.
“I have tried to call them to find out who I need to speak to with regards to the problem and only received a reference number but that’s solved nothing as no one has come out from the municipality to see the problem or even given me a call to let me know what the plan of action is to solve it. I pay a lot of money for rates and taxes why aren’t my requests for help seen to,” she asked in frustration.
EThekwini municipality was unable to comment on the issue at the time of going to press.
