The people of Imizamo Yethu remain optimistic about the ongoing road works currently being rolled out.
The City of Cape Town officially started repairing the roads on November 2, resurfacing NR Mandela and Oliver Tambo roads, H Peterson and M Peterson avenues, as well as Molokoane and R Sobukwe streets. Pavements along sections of NR Mandela and Oliver Tambo roads were also repaired, along with kerbs along NR Mandela Road.
IY resident and taxi driver, Joseph Mahushe, said people were generally happy to see the roads being worked on, but hoped they would remain fixed.
“We have seen many roadworks here and there was always a problem, because a pipe might burst and then they have to dig up all this work again. So we will wait and see when the work is done,” Mr Mahushe said.
Trading close by was Wallace Sithole, who watched as the roads were being repaired day by day.
“I have been here from the start of the project and you can see a difference, but I think what remains on everybody’s mind is ”will it last?“. The people of IY have seen this before. We are hopeful and want to see it last,” he said.
He also encouraged the people of IY to work with the City and obey laws around the stormwater drains.
“When there is a pipe burst, they have to dig up the roads and that is when the work is not done properly. They patch up and leave, but leave behind bigger problems in terms of the roads,” he said.
“Pipe burst is caused by all the stuff the community throws into the drains. So we are causing our own problem here in a way.”
Community worker, Kenny Tokwe, has been following the project since the start and confirmed that the City were completing the snag list.
He was happy to see the inclusion of speed humps in certain areas. “We are very happy about that because it prevents danger for the community and prevention is better than cure in this case.”
Mr Tokwe, however, remained concerned about the sewerage system, noting that drains were still being blocked in IY.
“One of our concerns remains the sewer drains, because they continue to block and they were supposed to upgrade these drains as the population grows,” he said.
He has also encouraged the City to consider fixing many of the street lights – and pointed out that additional ones were required in IY.
The debacle around around IY roads has been ongoing for years, but more recently, locals displayed their frustration and brought Hout Bay to a standstill during a protest outside the Hout Bay Police Station.
After extensive talks between the City and local representatives, the work finally kicked off, with ward councillor and new Mayco member for urban mobility, Rob Quintas providing a positive update on roadworks, (“IY roadworks on track, says councillor”, Sentinel News, December 10, 2021).
Contractors returned to site after the builders’ break to complete the Hout Bay Gateway Circle and its arms, with emphasis on the NR Mandela Road arm and the road surface around the police station, according to the City.
Mr Quintas said contractors had already begun work and “should be complete with this phase by the weekend”.
“Thereafter, work will also be done in the coming week in the Petersen Street area in order to address road surface concerns. The project is in line with the City’s commitment to improve urban mobility for all its residents, across all communities,” he said.
“I must remind residents that we need the community’s ongoing support to ensure the work is not delayed and is completed on time”.
