DEAR Editor,-
This was probably the busiest holiday season the South Coast has ever experienced, with thousands and thousands of visitors from far and wide here for the festivities and to enjoy our Blue Flag beaches.
It was a perfect opportunity for RNM to showcase what our area has to offer. Instead what did visitors find?
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Badly maintained roads full of potholes, grass and weeds growing profusely in gutters, broken Armco barriers, broken bridges, abandoned lumps of concrete, peeling paint on kerbstones, broken traffic lights…
The list goes on and on; every road gutter (at least from Shelly Beach to Hibberdene) was full of litter, never swept or cleared away.
Verges are mostly uncut and covered in litter and illegal dumping and garbage bins overflow.
Residents are more or less used to this level of poor service with potholes, litter and dumping, but what a sad sight for visitors.
Some municipal staff, particularly HoDs and managers responsible for cleansing and maintenance, and managers and superintendents of depots 1 and 2 should hang their heads in shame for allowing the area to deteriorate to such an ugly, filthy state – particularly at such an important time.
Knowing there would be a huge influx of visitors, why were no contingency plans in place to keep public areas and roads clean?
Why was no task team driving around emptying overflowing bins and picking up dumping? Why were no additional litter-pickers employed? In fact, where were the litter-pickers?
None were seen for days and they should have been out in force early every morning, particularly on December 26 (Boxing Day) to cope with the extra rubbish.
Everywhere you look is run-down, dilapidated and dirty.
What an advertisement to prospective property buyers or businesses looking to set up here.
The area behind Oribi Plaza is a total disgrace and centre management must accept some responsibility for this.
Around the Abingdon Spar Complex and Umtentweni Library, the area is covered in litter, toilet paper, overflowing bins and piles of uncollected black bags; it looks dreadful.
The verge contractor started cutting before Christmas, but most of inland Tweni remains uncut with verges covered in litter and debris.
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What a sight greeting those perhaps looking to buy and settle in the area. Many roads are in such dreadful condition that a 4×4 is needed to negotiate them.
This poor level of service from our municipality is totally unacceptable. They could and should have done better and it’s about time they got their act together.
RATEPAYER 7
Umtentweni
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Ray Nkonyeni Municipality spokesman responds
DEAR Editor,-
The municipality welcomes criticism for it to improve where there is a need to do so.
Let me indicate that before writing this response, I took a drive past the Umtentweni Abingdon Spar Complex and Library and unfortunately could not see what is mentioned – it may happen that it’s been attended to.
I also wish to state that in November last year, the municipality launched a campaign called ‘War on Littering and Illegal Dumping’ which is aimed at both educating the public against littering and illegal dumping and also to put an emphasis on enforcement of by-laws.
This in itself shows that the municipality takes the matter of littering and illegal dumping very seriously, however the public also needs to cooperate.
On the issue of verges not being cut and the state of the roads, the municipality has a clear programme to attend to these issues though there is still room for improvement.
The road from Shelly Beach to Hibberdene, the R102, belongs to the department of ransport and not the municipality, however the municipality continuously engages with them on the issue of road maintenance and cutting of verges along the road and there has been some movement – though at a slower pace.
There is a contractor who is responsible for cleaning the road and it would be appreciated if there are specifications highlighted where there is a lack thereof.
Coming to the issue of the seasonal plans or contingency plans, I wish to state that plans were there and were being implemented as members of the public would litter or make the place dirty, but surely on the next day they are clean.
Public should also learn not to litter anyhow, as there is no way that there can be personnel at each and every spot to be cleaned, but what one is certain about is that cleaning is done.
It is once more requested that when members of the public see an ‘eyesore area’ or where they realise that urgent attention is needed, they should contact our functional customer care Line at 039 6882027, send an sms to 32061 or email services@rnm.gov.za.
SIMON M APRIL
Senior Manager: Mayoralty and Communications RNM
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