SEA View residents are grateful to have streetlights back on after years of pleading. The residents had reached their limit in trying to get the streetlights back on as it was posing danger to their community.

Speaking to the Queensburgh News, the community said they are grateful to the eThekwini Municipality for finally hearing their cries and attending to the problem. Resident and ratepayer Nisha Marderee said they had been dealing with the issue since 2016, which was affecting three wards: 63, 64 and 65.

Also read: Ashley residents’ pleas to repair road ignored

Marderee said this was a joint effort by the Concerned Ratepayers group. “The group is not politically affiliated; our objective is to ensure service delivery to ratepayers and residents,” she said.
“As residents, we took it upon ourselves to send emails and requested help through the normal procedures of reporting the problem and getting a reference number. The streetlights from the bottom end of Ward 65 to the top end of Ward 63 were not working, and some poles did not have numbers.

“After some time, we thought it would be best to include the department heads in our emails, who told us they will investigate the matter. We proceeded to make calls and write emails until we were attended to. After a while, municipal workers were on the street and working,” she said.

Also read: Infrastructure failure leaves residents vulnerable

The community members had reported that the dysfunctional streetlights were posing a danger to the community as the streets were dark. “We were experiencing criminal activities where people were getting robbed, and there were reported house break-ins,” they said.

The community extended their gratitude to the municipality, including the Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda and the Speaker Thabani Nyawose. “We were impressed by how they prioritised our case, and this is what the Ratepayers Group is about – ensuring service delivery. We cannot sit by and watch the value of our properties be at stake,” they said.

For more from the Highway Mail, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. You can also check out our videos on our YouTube channel or follow us on TikTok.