EDITOR – Those were the days.
My family and I came regularly from the Transvaal to Amanzimtoti for our annual holiday.
We even considered purchasing a flat.
Fate had it that my husband was transferred to the large refinery close by. We were very excited and looked forward to our future here. We have now lived in Amanzimtoti for about 40 years.
What drew us to Amanzimtoti was the parks and the cut grass and the flower beds always full of flowers. Obviously there was a supervisor. The entrances were well maintained and inviting.
Streets and the shopping area had a polished look. It was a pleasure to shop in the well maintained shops and enjoy the restaurants and cafes which were on the pavements.
There was a health department which supervised all aspects relating to health. A health inspector for the centre of the town supervised cleanliness in all food shops and streets in that area. This accounted for the well manicured appearance. There was also an inspector in the industrial area.
Those who were here then will remember the two ‘traffic cops’ on their motor bikes who ensured law and order. They even controlled the invasion of monkeys in residential areas.
These are the days.
Note that this is not an attack. It is meant to draw the attention of any person in seniority in Ethekwini Municipality who can restore Amanzimtoti to its former state as a town to be proud of. Overseas visitors who have come three and four times have compared photographs and have sent comments on their return home. The same applies to families who have emigrated and visit family in Amanzimtoti.
There are no longer well cut parks or beds of flowers. There may be a few. However, verges are not cut regularly. Beach Road is an eyesore. Tree roots grow through the paving in some areas and there is mud in the gutters. The entrances to Amanzimtoti are not welcoming or well kept, giving the appearance of a secondhand shop.
For financial and expansion reasons, the main shops moved out to the two new shopping centres. This left Amanzimtoti a ghost village with very little council attention regarding cleanliness and maintenance. The addition to the town was the taxi rank, an important and necessary addition, though at times a dirty eyesore as much as the station.
There are no regular health inspectors nor visible Metro Police.
Amanzimtoti has the appearance of a town where no rates or other charges are paid by home owners, industry and investors who are not receiving their income due to the fall in number of visitors to the town.
If there is a shortage of finance, this is a way to acquire it.
Station Metro Police on Kingsway (Andrew Zondo) Road from 5am to trap noisy and speeding motorists who treat the road like a racetrack and, at times, trucks. This continues throughout the day. I am sure this is the feeling of others who live on Kingsway and I speak for them as well. Kings Road is also a race track for motorbikes and light commercial vehicles.
As Amanzimtoti has expanded, intersections can be extremely busy and require pointsmen.
The MetroRail station was contacted telephonically regarding the speeding and noisy traffic. The response? “We can do nothing with the noise, I will repeat the other to my captain”
During the voting period, this matter was raised with the main candidate who promised to ‘look into the matter’.
CINDY OF TOTI
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