A hole dug by eThekwini’s Water Services Department over three weeks ago on Somtseu Road in North Beach, remains unfixed, thereby resulting in a vehicle getting stuck in it last week.
Democratic Alliance PR Councillor, Sharmaine Sewshanker, said she has repeatedly reported the matter and generated several reference numbers to EWS and has not received any response.
“Three weeks ago a sub-contractor was called to jet the blockage and unfortunately his nozzle was stuck in the sewer resulting in them cutting the 10 metre pipe and left after they could not remove it. This caused further blockage and this has been like this for over three weeks,” said Sewshanker.
She said to block motorists from getting stuck in the hole, they placed concrete bins in front of the hole. “With last week’s inclement weather, in the afternoon around 5pm a car hit the bin and it broke into pieces, going into the hole. I reported this and with the help of the car guards working on that road, we put up a tape around the hole for motorists to be aware of the hole.
“Without the tape, the hole can barely be visible to motorists and needs to be covered immediately. I called a jetting team to come and sort it out. They have been on the site since Saturday morning, where they were able to pull out the hose and found fat and residue from the nearby restaurants who discard it into the manholes, causing all the blockages,” explained Sewshanker.
The sewer problem has been ongoing as the residents have been complaining about a foul smell. “We called the municipality to come out and use the GIS system to determine where the pipes are laid and where the blockage is.
Because this municipality is not doing what they are supposed to, they had to call out three jetting teams to find the problem. I have spoken to the private contractor on-site and he has assured that he will work around the clock to fix this. He also requisitioned a crusher runs to fill up the hole so that motorists travelling on the road will be safer and won’t damage their vehicles,” Sewshanker added.
She decried why the hole has not been fixed three weeks later and with no warning signs for the motorists. “I do not know how long the crusher runs, which the contractor has requested, are going to take from the municipality. I am hoping that there won’t be any delays,” said Sewshanker.
EThekwini Municipality spokesperson Msawakhe Mayisela said they were not aware of the hole and the incident. However, a team has been dispatched to attend to the matter.
