People say the roads are an accident waiting to happen

Aggrieved residents of Payne Farm in Glencoe have claimed that the municipality ‘never intended to restore the awful roads’, as the grumbling continues.
Residents of Francis, Louisa, Emily, Alice, Commando and Maritz streets, known collectively as Payne’s Farm, now fear for their lives, as these roads have become ‘undrivable and hazardous’. Hence they have frequently voiced their dissatisfaction to the municipality, as well as to their councillor in Ward 7, Cllr Abdool Mohammed, about their living conditions.
The lack of sewage lines, water and electricity; and the skewed, dusty roads are their most adamant complaints.
The condition of Emily Street in Payne’s Farm, according to local man Khulekani Kubheka, makes it unsafe for vehicles to drive. “This is one of the unpaved roads that now has substantial road erosion as a result of the heavy rains and has become a danger zone. It’s just waiting for a fatal accident to happen,” explained Khulekani. He added that Emily Street suffers from erosion and flooding, and this has also caused deep trenches at the side of the street.
Thabo Miya’s main concerns are the streetlights and the lack of sewage lines. “These street poles are not reliable We also experience constantly backed-up sewage pipes,” explained Thabo.
He added that most parts of the area still have the old electric cables that have no insulation. “When it’s windy, the electric wires touch and cause a spark. With kids playing around, anything could happen,” concluded Thabo.
Living in Payne Farm is difficult for Thabo and Khulekani, who both concurred in one voice and expressed a sense of isolation due to the lack of service delivery.
“Simple things like the replacement of streetlights and the cutting of the grass seem like perks to us, as the municipality hardly ever does this,” a homeowner who wished to remain anonymous said.
Cllr Abdool Mohammed of Ward 7 commented that a list of all the roads that need to be rehabilitated was sent to the technical director at Endumeni.
“The potholes will all be sorted out as soon as the liquid is received from the supply chain process and all gravel roads in Ward 7 will be attended to,” explained Cllr Mohammed.
He added that they are awaiting the roster and can confirm that one of the TLBs has been repaired, while the second one has not been returned from the supplier.
“The grader that was repaired has unfortunately gone back for repairs, as it has to be reworked with the guarantee of workmanship that was done on that grader,” further explained Cllr Mohammed.
He concluded by saying that all roads in Ward 7, including Payne Farm’s roads, are on the list for repairs.