Norkem Park resident pleads with city to fix pothole near his property
Koen’s biggest fear is that if he does not keep on filling the pothole, a vehicle might hit it, and someone could die.
Anton Koen, a concerned Norkem Park resident, has urged the CoE to fix a massive pothole outside his property.
According to Koen, the pothole was ’caused by the municipality’ three years ago when contractors tried to fix a leaking pipe.
“The hole has never closed properly since. Municipality employees arrived to dig a hole to fix the water leak and damaged the road in the middle.
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“The employees drove over my paving, causing it to sink, and cracked my cement due to the heavy equipment they used,” said Koen.
“After the contractors left and never came back to fix the hole, I reported it many times, but no one answered their phones or replied to emails. Thereafter, we started complaining to the parties we voted for in our area.”
Koen said after three years, the ward councillors were well aware of the problem.
He said many of the vehicles using the road drive on the right-hand side to avoid the hole.
“The worst part is at night. We have no streetlights, also after many complaints.”
He said the pothole affects him and all the residents who use the road.
ALSO READ: Resident frustrated over potholes in Kempton Park
“I have been filling the hole with sand so it does not go any deeper, but after every rainfall, the sand just washes away. We, as owners, are also not allowed to fix the municipality roads. I wanted to put the concrete mix in there.
A few cars have already been damaged,” Koen said.
His biggest fear is that if he does not keep filling the pothole, a vehicle might hit it, and someone could die.
“All because a municipality does not do what it gets paid for. It is pathetic and we cannot even deal with the people put into positions of power. Unqualified people have been put in jobs they cannot do. All our calls are either unanswered or we are referred to more people who cannot help.
“After 30 years of ANC rule, it’s been a waste of money and time. One just needs to look at the state of all the government entities.
“What worries me is that even the parties we vote for do not do anything. They are all big mouths when it comes to voting. So, who do we vote for now?”
Ward Clr Desmond McKenzie said he was aware of the matter and would continue escalating it to the department.
“Currently, the depot does not have tar and the matter has been reported by the Kempton Park department.
“The city should be able to provide more clarity. We continue to log potholes and other service delivery issues daily to the various departments.”
ALSO READ: Residents of Birchleigh call on CoE to resolve leaks and potholes
According to McKenzie, the new mayor said in his State of the City Address that potholes and streetlights would be a priority.
“We will watch him closely and keep him accountable for the promises made during the State of the City Address.”
McKenzie encouraged residents to continue logging pothole complaints and to provide him with the reference numbers.
“I will continue to escalate matters to the department,” he said.
The Kempton Express requested comment on the matter from the CoE.When a comment is provided, it will form part of follow-up reportage on this matter.
