UMHLANGA ward councillor, Heinz de Boer, is calling on Umhlanga Ridge residents to weigh in on the future of a fountain which has become an eyesore. The structure which is incorporated in a traffic circle on Royal Palm Avenue has become a cesspool and the pump for the fountain has been out of operation for a number of years.

When the area was first developed, the structure was put in to beautify the area, however, it has now become a breeding ground for mosquitoes and a dumping ground with people throwing in cigarette butts and glass bottles.

According to de Boer, the city’s Parks, Recreation and Culture department has proposed to take down the structure and replace it with a garden feature.

“The issue came about at an Upper Umhlanga Security Trust meeting recently. When the area was built, the developers failed to leave in place a resident’s association or structures to maintain the area. The pump for the fountain soon gave up. A resident had stepped in to maintain it but that has now stopped. The parks department say they won’t be maintaining the fountain because it was not in keeping with the city’s standard. They’ve proposed landscaping it and creating a garden.

“I’d like to ask residents to email me their suggestions with what they think should be done with the fountain. At the moment it’s a cesspool, filled with muck, slime and bottles. It’s also starting to crack, which will make it costly to repair in the long run. Because of the standing water, it’s also become a breeding ground mosquitoes. Several residents have been complaining about the eyesore and I’d like to bring the matter to a conclusion. Either the community adopt it and look after it or the city’s horticultural team will convert it to a feature,” he said.

Email your suggestions to durbanward35@gmail.com.