Cape Town - Kuyasa residents have expressed delight and excitement over a newly built bridge that allows them to travel more safely.
The bridge links Nomatse Street and Ndlulamthi Street and prior it being constructed, residents from Makhaza east and west had to use dirt tracks to visit each other. Now the new bridge makes connecting and socialising possible in a safe manner.
A local resident Melody Mbonjani, 39, who’s been living in the area for four years could not hide her excitement, and also appreciated the job by the local government. She further opened up about some challenges she had to survive daily before the bridge was built.
‘’I used to struggle crossing to the other side of the community because people had turned the place into a dumping area. Also, the sewage pipes were a nightmare to deal with because they always contributed to the dirt,’’ said Mbonjani.
‘’Now all it's better because visibility is easy to see on the other side especially for myself because I go to work early in the morning around 5am and it’s not safe. For now the government should fix the sewage pipes for us because it's still a struggle and in the long run they might start to damage the bridge because the leaking water from the pipes flows all the way to stop at the middle of the bridge because it's steep,’’ she added.
According to the City of Cape Town’s Transport Directorate, the bridge is set to promote a safe and socially connected community in Kuyasa by providing better access for motorists and pedestrians between these two areas.
Their extension of the road will be upgrading pedestrian access as a whole and removing the health and safety hazard for the open space.
Mayco member for Transport, Rob Quintas said: ‘’The Zenzile Street extension project is the true epitome of resilience and speaks to our commitment to delivering services to our communities, despite challenges and delays. The safety and well-being of our residents comes first and nothing will stop us from achieving our target goals.’’
‘’Although it may have taken longer to complete this project, I am happy that we have managed to complete it before the busiest time of the year. Thus, our residents will be able to move around and visit each other in a safe manner,’’ he said.
Another resident, Remember Maifo, who lived in Kuyasa for six years, said the construction of the bridge was supposed to start last year but due to Covid-19 and politics conflicts, there were delays. He also said that the bridge is a blessing to them since they no longer have to struggle getting taxis from their closest streets.
‘’Not only am I happy for the bridge, I am also happy that the construction of the bridge was able to employ too many locals and for that period they had something to put food on the table. I would encourage the local government to install a speed-hump on this road because many cars drive by with speed and it endangers the lives of the children playing outdoors.’’ said Maifo.
Like other residents, he also highlighted the sewage crisis and that it needs to be dealt with because it might contribute to damaging the bridge.
The project commenced in 2020 and was scheduled to take 11 months to complete. Unfortunately, the project was disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic, and other challenges including violence and hostility from some members of the community, vandalism of contractor machinery, harassment, intimidation and assault on the contract workers.
These acts caused the contractor at the time to terminate his contract with the City.
‘’I want to warn all those behind the disruptions and delays of our projects, who are making unnecessary demands and intimidating our contractors, that we will not tolerate such behaviour. Our residents deserve the services and the City will not be deterred from improving lives and living conditions,’’ said Quintas.
‘’The City will continue investing in projects such as these by upgrading the various wards across the city. We will consult with the residents and will, in collaboration with those who live in these wards, identify solutions to create healthy, safe and socially connected communities in Cape Town,’’ he said.
Weekend Argus