Queensburgh councillor highlights incomplete, shoddy work
Residents said they were fed up of the incomplete work and repairs done by several departments within the eThekwini Municipality.
QUEENSBURGH residents are frustrated by the incomplete and shoddy work and repairs that have been carried out by several departments within the eThekwini Municipality.
Some of the work includes repairs to burst water pipes, the resurfacing of roads as well as excavations.
One such example is Braeside Avenue in Bellair. According to resident Robbie Thorne, a water pipe burst in the area a few weeks ago and the matter was reported and logged. Technicians were sent out to repair the burst pipe.
Unfortunately, once the repair was done, the spoil (the leftover debris from repairs) and the backfill was heaped into a pile and left.
Residents said the pile of spoil made it difficult for motorists to travel along the two-way lane.
The spoil included sand, stone, backfill, broken pipes and tar.
Thorne reported that a woman was driving along Braeside Avenue at 22:00, didn’t see the pile of spoil, and drove through it. Her car is said to have landed on the side of the road, on top of the pile of spoil.
Ward 65 councillor, Samantha Windvogel reported the mess on October 13. Since her report, the eThekwini Municipality cleared some of the gravel and added backfill, but Windvogel said the project was left incomplete.
“I think it would be better if the municipality had a better system for a burst water pipe: repair, backfill and remove spoil – all in one go. This, instead of waiting days to follow the process,” said Windvogel.
Other problem areas in Bellair include the excavation on Woolwich Avenue. The spoil was left on Church Avenue, outside the Bellair municipal swimming pool. These are just two of the sites that the Queensburgh News observed during an oversight visit.
Windvogel sent another email to the municipality on Thursday, October 21, in the hopes it would clear the reported areas.
The eThekwini Municipality did not respond to questions emailed to them at the time of going to press.
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