Neglected stormwater drain costs Ballito residents millions in damages
Ward 6 councillor Tammy Colley said an upgrade project has been awarded to deal with stormwater in Zen, Gillian and Jacqueline drives.
A broken and clogged stormwater drain left unattended by the KwaDukuza municipality for three years has so far cost seven Ballito property owners millions of rands in damages.
When the skies grow dark purple with threatening heavy rain, the Zen Drive residents wait in fearful anticipation of yet another possible incident of damaging floodwaters sweeping through their homes and causing havoc.
The heavy downpour on 23 January was a repeat case in point.
For the third time in as many years the confluence of rushing water at the corner of Zen and Jacqueline drives could not find a controlled runoff path through the malfuntioning stormwater drain.
Instead, the spillover carved its own corridor, rushing through the properties below in domino effect fashion.
This was a reoccurance of what happened in February 2022 and again in April 2023.
But nobody in authority seems to care. Appeals to fix what appears to be a straightforward problem to solve are simply ignored.
Owner of the property on 45 Zen Drive, Terry Smith, said the issue has been reported to the municipality repeatedly, pictures taken, meetings held and ward councillors advised, but no repairs have been done in the last three years.
After the January flooding, his wife Martine Owen wrote to the municipality to request urgent intervention.
“Please advise when you could make yourself available to meet on site and view this major problem, to see for yourself the damages and state of the stormwater drains.
“The cover has also blown off the deep stormwater drain and this is a danger to pedestrians and pets walking on the verge,” she wrote.
“When it rains the water that is not contained in the drainage flows out and down the bank, undermines the boundary walls of the house on the corner 4 Jacqueline Drive, floods their garden and garage and destroys their pool.
“Then the water hits our precast boundary wall causing damage even though we have weep holes for water flow, and floods directly into my property. In some places you can see the flood line on the wall of about a meter high.”
The said water then flows on the sides of their house like two rivers and then onto the neighbours’ properties below.
They have spent a lot of money putting in additional drainage on their property to better cope with the deluge but believe nothing they do will solve anything unless the municipality repairs the drain.
“I cannot claim for repairs and damages with our insurers again. Boundary walls were broken again, the house flooded and the pools were damaged,” Martine wrote.
So far there has been no reaction from the municipality,
Ward 6 councillor Tammy Colley said an upgrade project has been awarded to deal with stormwater in Zen, Gillian and Jacqueline drives.
“It is a historical issue that has affected the area on numerous occasions.
“A consultant was appointed, and I believe the awarding of the contractor is almost complete. I hope that once the project is completed, their issue will be resolved.”
In the meantime, the affected residents are not praying for rain.
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