Pothole-riddled streets in Norwood, one of Mthatha’s oldest and one-time upmarket residential suburbs, are set to receive a major facelift as city bosses have allocated R42m towards their revamp.
King Sabata Dalindyebo (KSD) municipal spokesperson Sonwabo Mampoza said it was estimated that the project would take up to 20 months to complete.
“Many streets in the area have gone beyond the status of maintenance. These streets are old and they have outlived their designed lifespan, which necessitates the need for them to be upgraded,” he said.
The municipality advertised a tender calling for engineering companies to bid for the designs for the streets including the scope of work.
Contractors to do the actual work will be appointed thereafter.
Mampoza said the project would be done in two phases, with the first phase taking up to 12 months to complete.
Phase one would see the upgrading of Sixth Avenue, while the second phase would involve the re-sealing of the tar surfaces on First to Fifth Avenues, as well as other internal streets.
Mampoza said apart from the streets being old, transport volumes had increased as the population around KSD had grown. This put more pressure on roads.
While attempts to get comment from the Mthatha Ratepayers and Residents Association were unsuccessful at the time of writing on Monday, some Norwood residents expressed relief that their neglected roads would finally be seen to.
Resident Lithakazi Mhaga lamented the fact that the infrastructure in the area had been left to rot in the first place.
“Our shoes were getting worn out from walking on these potholes. I just hope they clean up the whole area and make it beautiful.”
Another resident, Siya Nyatela, said their cars had been damaged by having to drive over potholes.
“We will be happy when we see the project starting.
“There have been too many promises that have been made but never fulfilled from this municipality,” he said.
Mampoza said the programme would be extended to other residential suburbs and townships in Mthatha and Mqanduli.
He said 10 internal teams were also busy working in several areas on road maintenance projects including the central business districts of the two towns...