Edenvale infrastructure decay hits guesthouse business

A frustrated business owner is at his wits’ end with the lack of repairs and degradation of critical infrastructure in Edenvale.

Guesthouse owner Fabian Pillay has raised concerns about the condition of the infrastructure in Edenvale, specifically a leak located at the corner of Seventh Avenue and Ninth Street intersection.

According to Pillay, the leak has existed for over a year and a half.

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In addition to this, the intersection of Seventh Avenue is lined with numerous potholes.

According to Pillay, the leak started in 2024 and has gotten progressively worse.

He said that although he does not have any proof, since the leak started at the corner of the intersection, three separate leaks have sprung up on his property.

In an effort to get the leak repaired, Pillay said he visited the water department based in Eastleigh.

“After visiting and explaining the situation, a staff member told me that I would get a reference number later that day. I never got one.”

Pillay said he returned the following day to follow up and was told that the system was offline.

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Soon after his visit to the water department, plumbers visited the leak at the intersection. Pillay said the plumbers assessed the leak and the site.

“I would say that this is a systemic problem; if you look at all the intersections in the Avenues, they all have a leak or are lined with potholes,” said Pillay

“As a guesthouse owner, we have established such good contacts abroad.”

He said Edenvale is a good hub for international tourism.

“The town is located a few minutes away from the airport as well as several major highways.”

Pillay said one of his fondest memories as a guesthouse owner was when South Africa hosted the football World Cup.

“It was a real feeling of euphoria; we had guests from Mexico, Paraguay, Uruguay and the USA. It was such a privilege to connect with them all.”

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However, as time has passed, the number of guests has reduced.

“With the lack of repairs, the town has just been deteriorating.”

Pillay believes that the lack of infrastructure repairs in the area has resulted in him losing bookings at the guesthouse, which has subsequently affected his livelihood.

“Often guests will let me know that they are five minutes away or around the corner and just not arrive for their booking,” he explained.

As a result, he has also had to let staff members go.

He said the business originally had a staff complement of five, but now employs only one staff member.

As a resident of Edenvale for the past 26 years, Pillay said he first started noticing Edenvale’s deterioration about 10 years ago.

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“There has been a slow progression, but after the Covid-19 pandemic, it was definitely more distinct.

“There was just a lack of maintenance as roads fell apart. There used to be repairs, but those slowly stopped, and it became the new normal.”

A request for comment was sent to the City of Ekurhuleni on May 8, requesting comment by May 11.

At the time of going to print, no comment was received.