By Bongekile Gumede
Since community activists and concerned members of the Asherville Ratepayers’ Association (ARA), Dr Anie Singh and Nishal Ramlall, reported the dismal state of the roads in the area following the recent floods, the ARA members are happy to report that repairs on the damaged section of Dr RD Naidu Drive are close to completion.
Since Dr RD Naidu Drive, which borders wards 25 and 31, is one of the busiest routes for residents and commuters alike, it was imperative that the appalling state of the road was given priority and contractors were seen during the past week, repairing the road which is still barricaded to cars until work has been completed.
Ramlall, who had also previously expressed his concerns about a number of non-functioning streetlights, said that poor visibility continues to be a source of grave concern not only on Dr RD Naidu Drive but on many Asherville streets where the poorly-lit areas pose a threat and a danger to residents and passersby.
Dr Singh commented on the poor service delivery, not only in Asherville but in the greater eThekwini area, and stressed that apathy and shoddy workmanship has now come to be associated with the quality of work that residents and ratepayers are receiving from the municipality.
While the commencement of work on projects like Dr RD Naidu Drive is to be commended, Dr Singh said that in the broader scheme of things this is but a drop in the ocean. “The constant power cuts, the ever so frequent shutting down of water supply in order to attend to repairs and the lack of urgency to attend to sewer leaks in the area are issues that residents have unfortunately had to contend with.”
Dr Singh added that the municipality, in its failure to timeously heed these requests and complaints, have failed the residents. “This piece-meal approach is clearly not working. As ratepayers and ratepayers’ organisations, we need to collectively decide on how we ought to expend our time, energy and resources to hold the municipality accountable. We have a right to demand better services and a better quality of life for all our residents,” concluded Dr Singh.
