Construction noise at High Court building a problem for locals

MBOMBELA – Ongoing construction at the Mpumalanga High Court has led to many complaints, the latest of which is a constant noise coming from the building as well as lights that have been burning 24 hours a day for the past three months.

According to Engela Olivier, who lives just behind the court in Acacia Street, the noise sounds like generators or air conditioners that are switched on day and night.

Olivier said that they were never warned about the noise that would disturb them this much.

Communications and marketing manager for the Independent Development Trust (IDT), Lesego Mashigo, explained that the only unusual noise from the construction work of the project would be coming from compressors used to break rock on Samora Machel Drive.

“This is in order to widen the road as part of construction of the access road to the court premises. This work is done during the normal working hours and not at night,”

Mashigo said.

Mashigo added that no generators are running at the site and the power used on site is only that which is necessary for the commissioning of equipment. “This is also not done on a 24-hour basis.”

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However, construction still continues as the opening date has been postponed from October 3 to December 10.

According to an investigation done in February this year by the organisation Africa Check, there has been no progress since September 2016 when the portfolio committee on public works conducted an oversight visit and reported that it was “95 per cent complete”. The IDT had the same completion status for the newspaper in March this year.

The IDT has blamed contractual issues for the delays but says the issues have since been sorted out.

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