Rob Humphry of Sheffield Beach writes:
Further to my letter in the Courier on April 29, I wish to draw the following to the attention of the public who regularly use the beach access stairway at Christmas Bay.
The attached photo, taken on May 4, clearly shows the current state of the stairway. These stairs were supposedly repaired by the KwaDukuza municipality (KDM) in the past few months.
They are currently extremely dangerous.
The bottom section has also been undermined as one of the main support pillars is suspended in the air.
The entrance at the top of the stairway is not barricaded and no sign present to indicate the staircase is closed. The same applies to the bottom entry point.
This was reported to KDM, with no response to date.
The stairs are far more dangerous now than they were when I had my accident last July.
KDM’s response that the stairs were closed was purely academic as no signage nor barricade was ever present then, as is the case now.
Based on the above, the municipality is totally responsible for my injury and to anyone who may get injured by the current state of the stairs.
Ward 22 Cllr Privi Makhan responds:
While the latest damage has been reported and danger tape was installed on May 3, departments need to ensure that repairs are carried out effectively. It is simply unconscionable that the safety of our residents is compromised, due to inferior repairs.
KDM media liaison officer Sipho Mkhize responds:
As per our previous correspondence to you on the matter, the staircase was cordoned off during its previous repair as shown on the photographs we attached. This was also communicated to Mr Humphry.
The current state of the Christmas Bay Beach access was as a result of the heavy rains and floods between April 8-13 which caused structural damages to public infrastructure.
As a result all beach facilities were closed and notices mounted at all beach access points to alert the community that the facilities were out of bounds.
Further public notices will be issued pertaining the state of the beach facilities.
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