THE poor and deteriorating condition of roads within the Empangeni CBD and suburbs came under attack from members of the public during an uMhlathuze Ward 23 meeting at Council Chambers on Thursday.
Concerned about the safety of road users, residents said tree roots, potholes and manhole drains without lids had become a danger to motorists.
With the roads described as being ‘accident prone’, ward members said this also placed the lives of pedestrians in jeopardy.
Another concern raised by residents included the poor maintenance of electricity lines and water pipes in the suburb.
‘There has been great concern with main reserve electricity lines dug up and left exposed. It looks like a war zone,’ said Ward 23 resident, Ken MacKay.
‘Every time a pipe is fixed in our area, it bursts within a week. New pipes need to be installed because in the long run it costs more to repair pipes than replace them,’ another resident added.
According to the Integrated Development Planning Manager Zodwa Mdluli, up to R352 000 had been allocated to walkways in the budget for 2014/2015 while R1.5-million had been earmarked for an electricity project at uMhlathuze Village.
