Durban — The Clare Estate Ratepayers Association (CERA) has taken it upon itself to clean up and restore infrastructure in the community, amidst poor service delivery from the eThekwini Municipality.
Local residents have been cleaning up verges and drains, clearing bushes and fixing potholes since February. The CERA clean up initiative chairperson, Kavir Boodoo, said the aim was to restore and maintain the area's dignity.
“We hope to get all the residents to join in and help out with the same goal of a clean community. We are still short on funds to buy important tools that we work with, such as spades, slashers, bush knives that are new or unused,” Boodoo said.
The initiative has so far collected over R1 500 which was used to pay for labour. Boodoo said vacant plots that are being cleaned will be fenced to prevent theft of infrastructure.
Boodoo said the untidiness and current state of Clare Estate were an eyesore.
“We hope to continue working on getting the main roads cleaned and look presentable,” said Boodoo.
He said they had tried to get the municipality to assist but nothing had been done since last year.
EThekwini Municipality spokesperson Lindiwe Khuzwayo, blamed the April 2022 floods which had caused extensive damage to homes and City infrastructure, for the problem.
“To-date, extensive work was undertaken to restore basic services, such as water, electricity, sanitation, and waste removal to various areas in the province. There were many challenges in the rectification process given the damage to main supply systems and the inaccessibility of some areas.
“Of all the work done thus far, 110 roads and 3 bridges have been repaired. There are 196 projects that are outstanding for the Roads and Stormwater Maintenance Department that will be addressed through various funding,” said Khuzwayo.
She said engineers were working around the clock to try and meet demands and the City was also committed to building infrastructure to protect them against similar disasters in the future.
“We ask residents to be patient, as the City works hard to repair the flood damage,” said Khuzwayo.
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