Nkomazi service delivery issues will be attended to

NKOMAZI – Residents have been complaining about various aspects of service delivery and matters seem to be worsening. For the past two years residents have been complaining of lack of water and bad roads.

The road from Tonga to KaMaqhekeza has seemingly been fixed, but they are feeling the strain of the aftermath and they won’t have it.
It started with the community of KaMaqhekeza when they embarked on a protest to complain about how the newly built road is an inconvenience to the houses situated close by. “This road is too steep, all the water floods our houses when it rains.

We have complained about this, but it seems our complaints are falling on deaf ears. We decided to take to the streets because our furniture and houses are being destroyed,” said Simon Manzini, a resident.
“As a resident who has lived through the dust and the potholes, I really should say that I’m grateful for the road being fixed. But it feels as if they just did it to mum us. We were not considered when this road was built.

It is just too high, our homes are flooding, and we had to open up alternative gates because there is no way my car can now enter through this gate. We ask that they find a way to fix this,” said another resident.
Meanwhile, Block A has also been plagued by a similar issue, and they decided to pelt cars with stones on Friday night. The community took to the streets after they complained about how bad the alternative road is, which they say was used by contractors when building the new road.
“We took to the streets for two reasons, we want our road from Block A to Block B to be fixed, it was an alternative and now it is deserted. We are feeling the strain and the contractors are long gone.

We also want water. For three months now we have been voicing our concerns with regards to the matter, but no one wants to listen to us. We will do what we have to do to get the authorities to take us seriously, even if it means pelting cars with stones. It’s a good thing we do it at night as no one will be able to identify us,” said a Block A resident.
The unrest continued on Monday morning, forcing Nkomazi Mayor, Cllr Thulisile Khoza, to intervene. “We are aware of the situation and the reasons behind it.

It was communicated a long time ago that the contractor would go back to Block A and fix the road that was used as a detour when they were busy with the main one. I met with the residents and they mentioned that no one had informed them of the situation, hence they took to the streets,” said Khoza.
On the Block B water debacle, Khoza said the issue was also resolved. “It was issues of the valve. Again the people were not informed of the status quo but we are fixing all of that now,” she said.
The people of KaMaqhekeza seem to be the ones lacking patience with the contractors, according to Khoza.

“That road is complete, but not refined yet. The process is still as far as Block B, the people just need to be patient. The contractors gave me their word that the matter will be fixed.

They are yet to build pavements and a drainage system to channel the water. All we ask for is a little more time. We unfortunately cannot control the rain,” she added.
As if this is not bad enough, the road leading to Tonga Hospital is in a sorry state. “The road leading to the hospital is a provincial one, but I can confirm that the construction company will be dealing with it as soon as they are finished with their current commitment.

But we are not just sitting back and folding our arms, the department of public works maintains it by layering gravel from time to time,” said Khoza.
Mpumalanga News investigated and can confirm that the maintenance mentioned was not visible, the road was in a dilapidated state, making it difficult for ambulances and other vehicles to use.