High hopes for Pinetown street repair
The split and sagging gabions were stripped and are being replaced along High Street.
THE gabions along a dangerous section of High Street in New Germany, Pinetown are being replaced after months of inaction by the eThekwini Municipality.
After a water pipe burst, followed by heavy rains, earlier this year, a section of road along High Street washed away.
Concrete water pipes were broken and the underside of the road was left exposed.
The eThekwini Water and Sanitation Unit repaired and replaced a section of piping and gabions were assembled at the site, by an unknown contractor, in an attempt to reinforce the bank.
Soon after installation, the gabions began to sag and split, the pavement continued to deteriorate.
What’s more, the stretch of road become a safety hazard for both pedestrians and motorists.
This was reported on by the Highway Mail in early October.
“This is not a win for the residents,” said the DA PR ward 21 councillor, Riona Gokool.
“Yes, the problem is getting fixed, but the problem should have not existed in the first place. The municipality has not come back to me with regards to who will be held accountable for the initial construction and whether or not they will be held liable. I will follow up because it is precisely this issue of not holding people to account that allows issues like this to continue. This is a complete waste of ratepayers’ money. Money which could be used to fix other issues,” said Gokool.
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Gokool noted she was aware of the state of the ward and the numerous unresolved issues it faced.
“I feel unsettled that this money is being wasted because I know where it could have been better used. I do hope the work is done to standard this time round and is not being done just to rectify the situation only for the problem to come back a few months later,” she said.
The eThekwini Municipality did not respond to questions by the time of going to print.
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