New bridge to assist residents
A new 80 metre long, concrete pedestrian bridge was built over the Kaalspruit stream.
Life on the southern side of the Tswelopele Informal Settlement will now be R2 less expensive.
This follows the construction of a new 80 metre long, concrete pedestrian bridge, which was built over the Kaalspruit stream.
Residents will now have free access to public facilities across the spruit, where they previously had to pay a fee to get to school, shops and taxi ranks on an unstable, temporary wooden bridge.
Relieved resident, Mr Isaac Netshikulwe, said as high as the cost of living is, they had to add an extra R4 to cross the bridge whenever they went to buy a loaf of bread. This meant that bread costs R15 instead of R11.
“Life on this side was expensive, but this new bridge is saving me the money I used to pay for every trip to buy bread, to go to work and R1 for my child when she walks to school,” he added.
The new bridge will not only save residents money, it will make it easier and safer for them to get to the local police station and shopping centres.
The bridge was constructed to withstand any high stream flows from the Kaalspruit stream.
“The bridge fare and lack of mobility was an additional burden to the social plight that the community is already faced with. The Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality (EMM) trusts that this development will alleviate this burden,” said the EMM’s spokesperson, Mr Themba Gadebe.
