Roadworks are a nightmare, say residents
Residents say loose gravel left following roadworks in Mazisi Kunene Road is a safety hazard.
RESIDENTS living in Mazisi Kunene (South Ridge) Road were at their wits’ end regarding ongoing roadworks near the Maze Road intersection.
According to Marietjie Strydom, who lives in Mazisi Kunene Road, the road was only fixed yesterday, after months of work, and she said the road could still do with tidying up.
“On Friday, 13 February we woke up to an enormous hole having been dug up overnight and the soil dumped in front of our garages.
“My husband was unable to get to work that morning as a result as his car was blocked in. In addition to needing to trek two young children through piles of mud and gravel, the lack of water and the incredible risk of getting in and out of our garages, we endured in the hope that it would all get fixed and be over and done with,” she said.
She said the road was left in a state for two weeks.
“It is an utter nightmare, and I truly feared for our lives every time we needed to come in and out. Not only do cars come speeding down, but the gravel and holes in the road caused constant skidding of cars. Motorists were using our pavement to avoid the roadworks. There was absolutely no warning down that dangerous stretch of road that this was the case,” she said.
Another resident who contacted Berea Mail last August regarding roadworks at this site and work going on at night, causing a disturbance, said the roadworks had been ongoing, on and off, for at least two months.
“It has been an absolute nightmare trying to reverse out of my driveway every day. A small leak in the road resulted in huge electrical and water problems, caused by either the eThekwini workers or their subcontractors, who damaged cables while excavating the road.
“A motor cyclist delivering pizza skidded in South Ridge Road recently due to the loose stones lying in the road, and this has still not been cleared to date. The loose stones are a real hazard for the traffic and I really don’t know who is responsible for clearing the mess,” said Beverley Ford.
Ward councillor, Nicole Graham, said although this area was not part of her ward, she had asked engineering and the water department for assistance and was awaiting responses.
A representative from water and sanitation said the department had worked on the site, as there were both water and electrical problems, and that backfilling was done.
“I visited the site myself and noted the safety hazard, as a car could easily skid on the loose gravel. I will contact the Roads Department to do an urgent tarring job,” he said.
