Westdene man fixes City’s abandoned mess
WESTDENE – Resident uses his own time and resources to fix a pavement.
A resident has taken matters into his own hands by fixing a mess left by City Power on Lewes Road.
Westdene resident Frikke Botes had to clear his schedule and get a shovel, broom and other tools in order to restore a part of the community that he felt was being ignored by the City. After a project on a mini substation on Lewes Road in January, bricks were left stacked up against the wall and the pavement left in an inadequate state. Residents and store owners near the substation have been sending the relevant authorities complaints with the hopes to resolve it and months later, nothing has changed.
Botes ended up sorting out the mess himself as he was not prepared to see that section of the road and Westdene become like its neighbouring suburbs. “We, as the residents, don’t want Westdene to become like Brixton and Westbury. We are unhappy that the City couldn’t fix this issue but someone had to do something about it.” Botes cleared the remaining bricks, levelled the sand and proceeded to repaving the pavement all by himself.
The pavement of Lewes Road wasn’t the only problem angering residents. Botes said, “The tree branches are never cut, storm water drains are blocked by litter, daily public drinking and ride-hailing app drivers parking wherever they want and harass residents when asked to move.”
Botes stated that residents in Westdene have had no choice but to deal with these problems themselves.
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