Resident in distress over exposed cable on her property for seven years

A WESTVILLE resident is in distress about a ‘temporary’ cable that has been a hazard for seven years. The resident, who asked not to be named, said the cable that runs from a street pole on Aylesbury Avenue, just outside her house, to the meter inside her property was meant to be temporary while the municipality found the fault.

“I had a fault that left me with no power for a month, and the municipality came to try and resolve the issue – that’s when they placed the cable. After a few years, they came back, and we were told that they couldn’t find any fault so the cable stayed there. During the floods, it fell on the ground, they came back to fix it and it recently fell in September this year again. Then it was placed back and not removed,” said the resident.

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The property owner said the cable has become a hazard as it is thick and she feels unsafe in her property.
“It is not safe at all to have this cable hanging over us like this. I would feel safer if it was placed underground or somewhere inaccessible. It becomes more hazardous when it falls down because it sits right in front of my garage door, and I can’t go anywhere near which means my car has to be parked outside of the garage,” said the resident.

Furthermore, the resident said this could also pose a threat to the value of her property should she decide to sell one day.
“The cable does not look aesthetically pleasing on the property, and no one will be willing to buy a property that is not safe to reside in,” she said.

EThekwini spokesperson, Gugu Sisilana said the Municipality will be looking into the case.