Pothole-riddled streets and faulty streetlights: Salt Rock residents voice concerns at mayoral imbizo

Service delivery discontent featured strongly at the Integrated Development Plan (IDP) mayoral imbizo held at the Salt Rock library last Tuesday. 

Chairing the meeting, newly elected KDM mayor Dolly Govender, tabled key issues raised by Ward 22 residents who voiced their frustrations on service delivery matters which included water disruptions, power failures, faulty street lights and pothole-ridden roads.

In recent years the communities have made it clear that electricity services, water supply and roads maintenance are still the top basic service priorities the municipality must focus on. 

The IDP mayoral imbizo (roadshow) is a public consultation and participation platform and a legislative requirement that has to be done in wards every year.

It serves as a compass for the council, to determine the development needs of the municipality.

It also provides an opportunity for residents to give their input and express their concerns.

The IDP process remains one of the most powerful tools which residents can use to influence the direction they want their municipality to take, and to influence which services they think must be prioritised and budgeted for.

However, residents raised the same concerns at last year’s IDP roadshow, saying their cries appear to have fallen on deaf ears.

Despite a commitment from KDM last year to accelerate the repair of streetlights in all wards, faulty streetlights continue to be a concern as they have been for almost a decade.

As far back as 2015, at a mayoral imbizo at the Ballito library, residents raised the same issues with non-working street lights.

In the 2019/20 budget about R4 million had been budgeted for repairs in Wards 6 and 22, and R5.5 million was budgeted for the installation of new LED lights in some streets.

More than half the lights in Salt Rock and Sheffield are still not working.

The 2019/20 IDP also stated that KDM’s Pothole Patching Programme complemented by the road rehabilitation programme would go a long way in rehabilitating roads.

However, the pothole problem in Salt Rock seems to be worsening, and a handful of residents over the weekend took matters into their own hands and patched some of the potholes themselves. 

At the IDP presentation KDM noted that ageing roads were a challenge and stormwater infrastructure needed rehabilitation and upgrading. 

Visibly frustrated Salt Rock resident Carol Church handed the mayor a bill caused by pothole damage to her car and asked that the municipality reimburse her for the damages. 

The incomplete Ballito taxi rank was another issue raised at the meeting, despite it not falling under Ward 22. 

While R3.5 million was allocated to complete phase 2 of the taxi rank in the 2019/20 financial year this was not adequate to fund the complete shelter design, ablution blocks, administration block and trader’s area.

The municipality was unclear as to the reasons for the incomplete project and why it had been rolled over to the next financial year. 

Questioned on the project after the meeting, Cllr Tommy Du Toit said the delay could have been the Covid-19 pandemic, which had affected many projects.

Beach safety and by-law enforcement was also raised with KDM Director of Community Safety and Security, Moses Faya who told the meeting the municipality had consulted with their legal team on the current by-laws which he admitted were not comprehensive enough and needed to be further developed.

No clear indication was given as to what the festive season plan involved but it did include round table discussions and input from all stakeholders.

When it would be rolled out and who would be responsible for by-law enforcement given the current manpower shortages facing Umhlali Saps was also not clear.

Faya said they had identified hotspot areas in Ballito that would be managed over the festive season.