Residents of Ramsgate are concerned about a sinkhole in Marine Drive, opposite the BP Garage, which has not been repaired in over a month.
Last month, a truck driver drove into the large hole and got stuck. It had formed as a result of a water leak which had been reported to Ugu District Municipality several times, however it has not been fixed as yet.
The sinkhole has been barricaded with concrete slabs, but it’s also blocking the entrance to a property.
Ward 2 councillor, Alan Bosch said the residents of Son and See apartments have to make alternative means to enter their premises because of the sinkhole. Also, the bigger concern is safety on the road.
He urged residents to stop throwing litter into the sinkhole as it will cause further blockage in the pipes, creating more water leak issues.
“Ugu has brought in pipes which need to be installed in the hole, however, the pipes are still lying on the side of the road, and gravel for the repairs is being stolen,” he said.
Bosch also said the rehabilitation of Marine Drive (P395), between Southbroom and Port Shepstone was launched over three weeks ago, however no one knows when construction will commence.
He added that the Department of Transport (DoT) was meant to provide details on the project’s commencement, so that people can be informed.
“Another concern on the same route is the recent damage caused by Ugu and the DoT on Glenmarkie Road, which is now adding to the poor state of the road. Ugu was fixing a water leak and they have left another hole,” Bosch explained.
However, he said Ray Nkonyeni Municipality (RNM) has been fixing some of the potholes in the Margate area, near the police station.
“We are hopeful that RNM will continue with their renewed efforts of keeping the area up to standard, especially as Margate is a finalist in the Kyk-Net ‘Dorp van die Jaar’ competition. If Margate does win, the town stands to win a large sum of money.
“All thanks go to the Tidy Towns community for their continued efforts in building up the town’s reputation,” he concluded.
DoT and Ugu were contacted for comment, however comment was only received from Ugu.
Ugu spokesperson, France Zama said: “I would like to stress that the pipe on the mentioned road does not belong to Ugu. The pipe sleeve is believed to be that of Eskom. Our team went to site to investigate and found that the pipe sleeve did not belong to Ugu.”
Zama added that a meeting with the DoT, Eskom, Ugu, and RNM had taken place and it was agreed that the responsible people repair the pipe sleeve and road.
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