RESIDENTS of Brown Street Circle in Schauderville are concerned that if a fire were to break out or something serious went wrong in the tiny circle, emergency vehicles would not be able to get to them since there is no way for them to enter.
The only entrance to the homes in this circle is 32 steep steps. There is no driveway or place for vehicles to enter.
One of the residents who have been trying for several months to get their plea under the municipality’s attention, Nigel Burger, said that what he fears the most is the safety of his 87-year-old grandmother who lives in the circle and was recently in hospital.
“It is such a struggle for us to get her up and down those stairs. The ambulances can’t get to our door. We are also afraid of what will happen if a fire breaks out in the circle. The firefighters won’t be able to get there and that is a huge risk that we are living with.”
According to Burger, he has been liaising with officials at the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality for almost a year but has been given many excuses.
“I have sent e-mails to ward 7’s office and all the necessary municipal officials but I was told that they have been working on this project since 2018 but that there is no money. This circle is the only one in Schauderville that hasn’t been tarred and has no way for vehicles to enter. I just want them to take into consideration that not even the police can enter and this is potentially a very dangerous situation.”
According to the e-mails sent between Burger and the municipality, which have been seen by PE Express, the Ward 7 office has been following up with municipal officials regarding this matter since last year.
According to one of these officials in an email sent in August 2021, the design was not approved due to the complexity of it.
“It was then recommended that if and when a budget is made available for this project, the stakeholders should include the involvement of consulting engineers by possibly going out to tender,” the email read.
In a separate e-mail sent in September last year, a different municipal official said that he was still gathering information related to this project and ward 7’s budget, but that there was no budget for this ward during that financial year for the Design and Implementation Department.
Ward 7 Councillor, Brendon Pegram, said that since he took over office in November last year, Schauderville has moved over from Ward 7 to Ward 11.
According to Ward 11 Councillor, Graham Gelderbloem, he is aware of the situation at the Brown Street Circle.
“I am aware of it, yes. There are 32 steps but it is a process for me to get it done. It is definitely a priority for me to hopefully get it done within the next financial year,” Gelderbloem said.
Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality spokesperson Mthubanzi Mniki was approached for comment but did not respond at the time of going to print.
