DEAR Editor,-
I have never come across such a dirty street as Athlone Drive in Port Shepstone. In fact, the whole of Ridge Road as well – streets are never cleaned by council and verges are never cut.
One manhole in the middle of the street has been left uncovered for almost a year now, which is so dangerous.
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It’s absolutely shocking that residents have to attend to cleaning streets while rates and taxes are paid to council to employ a workforce.
The KZN MEC and invited VIPs arrived for the opening of the Maritime Museum, but for weeks the local ward councillor and I have been emailing council to attend to street cleaning.
This is an ongoing concern and battle and all that happens with my emails is they are forwarded to another person, who clearly does not care to do anything.
Council should know that there is always activity on the beachfront, especially over weekends. People who party there just throw bottles and rubbish out onto streets because they don’t care.
As for verges, they are disgustingly overgrown and not the responsibility of residents.
I am so saddened by the lack of care at council. It is such an embarrassment to have guests over – we don’t want them seeing how revolting our town is.
It’s embarrassing knowing that the MEC and VIPs are visiting the area, but we can only hope they notice how shocking it is. Maybe they will haul someone at municipality over the coals.
Granted, the beachfront and pool and braai areas have been cleaned for the museum opening, but when they leave it will be days before the area is cleaned.
And when it is cleaned, garbage bags sit on pavements, sometimes for weeks, allowing monkeys and dogs to rip them up which fouls the street with rubbish again.
When I lived in Southport, streets and verges were maintained so well and always looked clean and lovely.
Why do they maintain certain areas and not others? The South Coast is such a beautiful holiday destination, but it is becoming an embarrassment!
We are fighting a losing battle. We don’t know what else to do. All we ask is that council workers do their jobs and clean streets on a regular basis.
Would it help if those who affected stop paying rates and taxes?
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I sometimes wonder what council workers employed for this particular job do? And what are their managers doing? Does everyone just sit around doing nothing?
It seems residents’ concerns are falling on deaf ears and I’m sure there are many other South Coast areas that have the same problem – even main streets are in a shocking state!
MRS K PATRICK
Port Shepstone
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