DURBAN - A WESTVILLE resident took to “fishing” at a pothole filled with water in Link Road near the Westville Country Club at the weekend to draw attention to the recurring problem.
PR councillor Sanelisiwe Chebure said that residents had been complaining for a long time about the pothole at Link Road.
“I have raised the issue with eThekwini Municipality. Repairs have been done to the affected area by the eThekwini Municipality but the problem is recurring and even after repairs it still fills with water. The last communication that I received from the municipality is that another assessment is being done. However, I don’t have a time frame of when the pothole will be repaired.”
Chebure added that the Westville Country Club had also complained about the problem.
“I have spoken many times to the chairman about the pothole and the recurring problem of the water filling there. I will continue to keep pushing the eThekwini Municipality to fix the problem and I hope that somehow the underground water can be redirected to solve the problem.”
Edward Pieret, chairperson of the Westville Country Club, said that he had been chairperson for 12 years and this was a recurring problem.
“I have noticed it does happen when there has been heavy rain over a short period of time in the area. I do feel the problem is being caused by an underground spring and is not related to any water leaks. The Link Road runs through the place where the underground water should be absorbed and unfortunately this causes the water to bubble up to the surface.”
Pieret added that the eThekwini Municipality had tried to fix the problem. “The municipality has tried to fix the problem on many occasions, however the underground spring is a problem and there is no easy solution to this problem.
“We actually need to get ideas on how the water can be rerouted, I have a friend who is a geologist and hope that we can discuss ideas on how the problem can be solved, at the end of the day this is not the eThekwini Municpality’s fault and I do feel sorry for them.”
Asad Patel, Westville Community Policing Forum chairperson, said each time the problem was fixed, the massive pothole returns a short while later.
“I have to question the workers or contractors the municipality is hiring to repair the pothole at Link Road as every time it’s repaired the water just comes back. I also feel that there hasn’t been enough care by the municipality in the affected area and no supervision on the repair process.”
Patel added that the pothole was in a busy area for traffic.
“We have the Westville Country Club, Varsity College and other sporting facilities all in close proximity to the affected area and we really want this problem sorted out. We can’t afford for a major incident to happen.”
Raymond Couch, a Westville resident, who posted pictures of himself on social media “fishing” at the pothole in Link Road said that the problem had been going on for 15 years.
“EThekwini water and sanitation just don’t seem capable of sorting it out. Hence my actions.”
Couch hoped that the pothole would be finally fixed before there was a major accident.
Msawakhe Mayisela, eThekwini Municipality spokesperson, said the municipality was aware of the problem at Link Road. “The relevant department will be apprised of the situation so a team can be sent to investigate.”
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