Die Heuwel resident cleans up after municipality

A worried and concerned resident phoned WITBANK NEWS after seeing his neighbour hire a private contractor to clean up after the Emalahleni Local Municipality.

Upon arrival, WITBANK NEWS came across a big truck and three gentlemen with shovels basking in the sun, loading piles of dug-up concrete and sand.

A resident from Palm Street, who wished to remain anonymous, informed WITBANK NEWS that in July 2023, the local municipality dug up his sidewalk in an attempt to change a water pipe. But since then, no attempts to repair the sidewalk or clean-up have been made.

He went on to say that he contacted his local ward councillor and even escalated the matter to the municipality himself without any luck.

“I made several inquiries, along with the councillor, until I was told that I was responsible for the clean-up as it is my property. They asked if there was something wrong with the repairs done and if not, I should clean up myself,” the resident said.

Local Ward Councillor Maureen Scheepers mentioned that the matter was first brought to her attention on July 5 last year, when a tree was scheduled for removal after its roots affected the water pipes.

“Whilst I was on site, a resident asked if another tree could be cut as it was also damaging infrastructure on the pipeline. From thereon, I have many complaints from the community on that side. I asked if the municipality could remove the branches and the rocks on the road,” said Scheepers.

She said that there is a municipal by-law that stipulates that should a member of the community not look after his or her property, the municipality has the right to issue one with a fine, “It is contradictory as the municipality is the one leaving sites unkempt and dirty,” Scheepers informed.

She has also reported numerous sites in Ward 20 for ‘restoration of site,’ however, she is unsure if any were attended to, “This is an everyday issue where sidewalks and sites are left either excavated or rubble is left on site. Some residents resort to clearing it themselves, but others cannot handle the manual labour or afford to do it themselves. These sidewalks become overgrown heaps of mess and then attract dumping and can be an eyesore in a neighbourhood. In some cases, driveways are excavated, and after repairs, residents are unable to enter their properties due to rocks or heaps of earth in front of their gates.”

Do you have more information about the story?

Please send us an email to info@witbanknews.co.za or phone us on 013 656 2490

• For more breaking and community news, visit Witbank News’ website www.witbanknews.co.za
• For more news and articles, like WITBANK NEWS on Facebook or follow us on Twitter or Instagram

DID YOU KNOW?

Click on the words highlighted to read more on this and related topics