In Central Kariega, the worsening condition of Church Street, specifically between numbers 1 and 3, has been a source of frustration for local business owners for the past three years.
Numerous complaints have been lodged with the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, as reported by business owners to UD Express, highlighting the ongoing neglect and the impact it has on their operations.
The business owners are facing challenges of water leakages, the stench that is pushing customers away and full storm water drains outside of their premises. It is also alleged that there are street dwellers that frequent that street because of the free supply of running water.
According to Llewellyn Oliver, a church Reverend which owns the 1 Church Street building, “Our tenants are threatening to take legal action against us because of the foul smell that affects them.” He also mentioned that the tenants are threatening to leave the building unless the matter is resolved. The NG Kerk Uitenhage Moedergemeente is located on a service road, Church Lane, which connects to Church Street, between 1 and 3 Church Street. The women working at the church have made numerous calls to the municipality regarding the issue. “The women told me that representatives from the municipality had inspected the problem and cleared the waste in the stormwater drains; however, the issue persists,” Oliver said.
Additionally, on Sundays, the road fills with churchgoers who must use that road. The church had asked attendees to park on public parking spots a street away, which, according to the reverend, raises concerns about the safety of female churchgoers.
Those using Church Lane, which is one-way, must drive up the wrong side because the exit has deteriorated. With the high number of vehicles attending church on Sundays, this increases the risk of car accidents between those entering and exiting the one-way street.
“There are two issues here. To me, it looks like this is raw sewage water from toilets, and further up it looks like stormwater. The stormwater drain here is so blocked that the water cannot flow into it, which causes it to flood here, which would suggest that there might be a possible water leak nearby,” Oliver added.
According to Claude Smith, a business owner in Church Street, numerous complaints have been lodged with the municipality by business owners in this affected area. “They (municipal officials) come and unclog the stormwater drains and about a week later, the same issue persists.”
He added, “In front of the church, there is potable water flowing down the street which street dwellers use to bathe themselves. This poses a hazard to our business as people see that and stay away. The same goes for the churchgoers,” Smith added.
According to Ward 51 Councillor Roelf Basson the issue was a blockage of the pipe leading to Caledon Street that needed to be replaced.
UD Express approached the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality for comment on the issue, and their response was that a team would be sent to the site to investigate.
On August 5, the NMBM’s Water and Sanitation department was on site to replace said pipe and drain the sewage water that was in Church Lane and the results are yet to be seen.
“After the replacement of the pipe, the municipality needs to get a road contractor to fix the necessary damage made by the Water and Sanitation department,” added Basson.
Councillor Basson said that should residents of NMBM have an issue with service delivery, they should use the proper channels, which is to call the service hotline, 0800 20 5050 (toll free) to get a reference number. Should their complaint not be rectified in due time, then residents should contact their ward councillor to escalate the complaint.
