LYDENBURG – After several articles in Steelburger/ Lydenburg News, the Thaba Chweu Local Municipality (TCLM) said it apologised for the inconvenience. On December 9, the article “Resurfacing still under way and a hindrance”, gave the perspective of business owners in Voortrekker Street.

They said their businesses were affected negatively and that the detour around Voortrekker Street through the neighbourhood diverts possible clients from the premises. TCLM commenced with the reconstruction project of Voortrekker Street on Tuesday September 7. The top layer of the current tar surface is being removed and replaced with a new one.

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“This project is long overdue and will restore the structure of the road as well as extend its life,” said Themba Sibiya, TCLM’s communication manager. On Thursday January 13, another article, “A trench-sized headache”, focused on what residents and tourists had to deal with during the festive season.

At the time Sibiya again urged residents to be patient as the original five-month project may take longer than expected. TLCM said the resurfacing project has been delayed due to community protests, budgetary constraints, technical issues and bad weather conditions.

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“These factors led to the alteration of the scope of work for the project to suit engineering requirements and service delivery imperatives. All the technical issues have now been resolved. Due to the suppliers’ Christmas break, the project has been set back for a month and it is now envisaged to be completed later this year. We would like to apologise to the businesses located within the refurbished stretch of the road and the public in general for the inconvenience caused due to the delays,” Sibiya said.