Les Tindale (81) acknowledged the one-year anniversary of the collapse of his perimeter wall by waiting in anticipation for a response from the City of Ekurhuleni (CoE).
The Riverleigh complex resident’s wall collapsed last year on March 31 after the ground underneath it was eroded away.
The complex is located between Cunningham and High roads in Eastleigh.
He believes the collapse of his wall was caused by damage inflicted to the servitude during the November 2016 floods.
Also read: A light at the end of a dark and damaged servitude
To ensure his property is secure, a palisade fence was erected last year to close off the opened garden.
“Basically, nothing has been done since the wall collapsed and the matter was reported.”
The heavy rains of March 5 and 8 renewed concerns of flood damage with the servitude running past Tindale’s property almost bursting its banks.
“At some places, the water in the servitude was a foot below the rim of the servitude,” said a representative from the body corporate of the complex.
“If the servitude was just maintained this would have been less of a problem,” said Tindale.
Over the course of the year, pieces of Tindale’s property, specifically his flower bed, continued to collapse regularly into the servitude.
This occurred until a concerned community member secured the exposed banks of the servitude with shade cloth and metal rods.
Also read: Lack of maintenance causing many problems as resident fear for structural integrity of his home
“I saw the community member securing the bank at the start of the year and since then my property is collapsing less.”
The representative from the complex said communication was re-established with CoE following the March’s heavy storms, but no response was received.
“Ward 18 Clr Heather Hart came past a few weeks ago with officials inspecting the servitude but other than that there has been no recent action.”
In addition to his collapsed wall and garden, cracks in Tindale’s remaining perimeter wall have expanded wide enough for him to slide his hand into the wall.
In a response to a request for comment sent last year, CoE spokesperson Themba Gadebe then told the NEWS that the process to address the damaged stormwater servitude near Tindale’s property had begun.
He said consultants were being appointed to several flood-damaged areas of the town and had completed their remedial designs.
Also read: Spruit woes worsen
Despite this response, very little remediation work has been seen conducted near Tindale’s property, or at other sections of Edenvale’s stormwater servitudes.
“Last year we were told engineers were appointed and a proposal sent to the city for approval,” said the complex representative.
“We were told work would start this April but we have seen nothing yet.”
