There comes a time when every resident has to stop and ask themselves if they are actually living in a world class suburb or a construction site that has been abandoned since the nineties. While the council members are busy in their air conditioned offices it is our senior citizens who are currently on the front lines of what can only be described as a battle for the roads.
Frankly the people of Somerset West and the wider Helderberg are absolutely fed up. It is one thing to have a bit of a bump in the road but what we are seeing now after the recent rains is something entirely different. We are talking about craters so deep and so wide that they are becoming a genuine threat to the safety of anyone who dare to leave their house.
VOICES FROM THE KERB
We spoke to several concerned residents who have been monitoring the rising water levels in their streets and the mood is far from sunny.
Jaenette from Strand was particularly vocal while pointing at a gaping hole near the beachfront. “It is an absolute circus. I have been posting in the WhatsApp group for three weeks and all I get is a reference number. A reference number will not stop my Mercedes from losing a wheel or a vagrant from taking a bath in the middle of the road.”
Sharon White who lives near one of the local schools expressed a more motherly concern.” “I told my children they must watch where he walks when he goes to check the grounds. You cannot see the bottom of these holes when it rains and “I am terrified for the little ones walking home. If a small child trips there they are going under and who is going to pull them out? Not the mayor that is for sure.”
Mrs Du Toit a long time Somerset West resident was seen marking a crater with a broken mop handle. “I have paid my rates in this town for fifty years and now I have a private dam in front of my driveway. I have to warn the delivery bikes to stay away because if they hit that they are gone. We are basically living in a pond with streetlights.”
WHAT MUST WE DO TO PROTECT OUR OWN?
Since the authorities seem to be moving at the pace of a tectonic plate the question remains what must we do as a community to stay safe? We cannot just sit back and wait for a tragedy to happen in the suburbs. Some residents are already taking matters into their own hands and documenting every new lake that appears after a storm but is that enough?
Perhaps it is time we started demanding more than just a bit of cold tar thrown into a puddle that will wash away by next Tuesday. We need real solutions before someone actually needs a lifeboat just to get to the shops. The safety of our children and our elderly should not be a secondary concern to the city’s budget meetings.
THE LINE HAS BEEN DRAWN
The Helderberg is a proud community and we deserve roads that do not require a diving certificate to navigate. If the people in charge cannot see the danger of a drowning hazard right in the middle of a residential street then maybe they should spend a morning standing on the kerb with our pensioners.
Until the powers that be decide to take this seriously we must look out for one another. Keep your little ones away from the kerb and keep a sharp eye on those lakes because at this rate the potholes might just win the battle for Somerset West.
