Treasure Beach residents live in fear after bank collapses, road unstable

TREASURE Beach residents have been left living in fear after, more than a year ago, a water pipe burst on a property, causing the bank to collapse and parts of the road to wash away.

Due to this, the residents of Ballerina Terrace fear that the road, which is situated above the bank, could collapse, causing serious injuries or leaving them trapped in their homes.

Candice Janneman said she woke up to the sound of water gushing in March last year.

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“It was quite late in the evening, and I could hear what sounded like heavy rain. However, when I looked through the window, I saw my neighbours running around. When I opened my door, the water started rushing into my house.

“I thought our water pipe had burst and sent my son to close the meter, but as he approached it, it lifted out of the ground. I started calling every number in the municipality for assistance. By then, my husband’s bakkie was under the water and was turning over. When the fire department arrived, they told us to evacuate as our property was being washed away,” she said.

Janneman said that following the municipality’s arrival, they were informed that the three main pressure valves had burst.

“We were left without water for days until they put in temporary fittings and said they would return to start repairs. When we tried to find out what was happening, we were told that there was no money, or they were waiting for a budget. We were also told that some work was supposed to start in July, but nothing has been done to date,” she said.

Janneman, who lives with her husband, two children and mother on the property, said they live in fear as their boundary fence had washed away.

“It is scary as we are just females living on the property as my husband and son often work away from home. We have had people enter the yard.

“We also lost our two dogs. They would go up to the top of the bank and onto the road. We are not sure if they were knocked or killed. We also fear that one day someone may go off the road and down the bank, landing on the outbuilding in which my mum stays. I battle to sleep every day and no longer feel safe,” she said.

Wayne Turnquest, another resident, said one of the major concerns was if there was a flash storm or floods.

“Our greatest fear is that should the road collapse, we will not be able to enter or exit the area. It seems to be imminent as we can see more and more of our neighbours’ banks collapse each day.

We fear for their safety and other motorists who are not familiar with the road.

“Furthermore, as a community, we are not concerned about the details of why things are not happening; we just want it to be dealt with,” he said.

Zoë Solomon, Ward 66 councillor, said, “There was expected to be a reinstatement of the infrastructure that broke and then the department was supposed to reinstate the space and road that washed away. While we have not had an issue of being responded to – the communication is good –  implementation does not come to fruition.

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“Furthermore, even though a new budget comes through and monies are allocated, it is just not released so that the project can be paid for. We have been waiting for the money to be spent on this project. However, we will keep up the communication with the homeowner, officials and Roads Department,” she said.

Gugu Sisilana, the City’s spokesperson, said they are currently following procurement processes before they are able to proceed with the pipe replacement.

She said the delay is due to the amount needed for the processes.

“The rehabilitation work is close to R1 million, therefore the City needed to ensure that such work was budgeted for accordingly. We apologise to residents for the inconvenience caused,” she said.

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