Heideveld residents can look forward to tarred roads by June, just in time for the wet winter season, says the ward councillor.
Work is under way at Elsa Court, Grace Court, Heideveld Road 2, Irene Court, Juliana Court 1, Juliana Court 2 and Linda Court.
The R33-million project kicked off three years ago and will see some 40 roads being tarred, said Ward 44 councillor Anthony Moses.
Currently half of the ward budget had been spent the project, he said, adding that it would address spatial inequality.
“We are restoring the human dignity of our people. Residents are quite happy about this, as they’ve been waiting for this for a long time. It minimises the effects of dumping in the community and makes accessibility to their properties easier,“ he said.
Felicity Purchase, mayoral committee member for transport, said she was happy with the project’s progress.
“Once completed, these roads will improve access in the area and the safety of all road users. As for the neighbourhood, the new roads are aesthetically pleasing, and will contribute to a sense of pride,” she said.
Heideveld resident Kaamilah Dawood said the community had waited a long time for the roads to be tarred.
“It’s about time they are doing it; we are glad,” she said. “We’ve waited a very long time for the sandy pavements to be gone.”
Roads weren’t the only thing the City needed to attend to, she said, adding that drains in the area had been blocked for over a year. The neighbourhood smelled like sewage most of the time and people feared for the health of their children.
“They come to fix it, but after a day or two, it goes back to the same thing. The water nearly came over the toilet bowl once, it really is a problem,” she said.
Mr Moses said: “The drains are being looked at, and most are being refurbished, but it is mainly stormwater drains that will be replaced. We urge residents to not throw their dirt into the drains. If a drain is blocked residents can log a complaint to 31373 via SMS.”
Pastor Isaac de Jongh said the newly tarred roads looked neat but some residents had complained about their driveways being raised and catching their cars’ exhausts.
“If your car is not high enough, it is a problem. Zuurberg Road residents are happy with it, but Ouberg Road and Polsburg Road residents are complaining about their cars being damaged,” he said.