Residents say road resurfacing is not enough

Residents from Highlands informal settlement in Makhaza, Khayelitsha, who have settled alongside Japhta K Masemola Road, are not happy that the City of Cape Town is resurfacing the road which was damaged by floods because they say the flooding will continue until the stormwater system is upgraded.

This comes after Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis inspected the resurfacing project on Tuesday June 11. The road is a vital thoroughfare for public transport in the area.

According to Luthando Woko of the Highlands Development Forum, the road has been a nightmare for motorists and residents. He said the City should have fixed the storm drains along the road from Town Two, as the water floods from that area.

“Resurfacing this road will not make any difference. We will be flooded again and this road will be eroded again. When its raining the water stops here,” he said, pointing to a point in the road where workers were draining the water with a generator.

Mxolisi Solo, who lives right alongside the flooded areas, said the flooding posed a danger to motorists because of crime.

“Drivers are targets here because they would slow down or stop to let a car pass. Cars also get stuck in the mud and when big cars, buses or trucks pass by, they would push the water into houses,” he said.

He added that his own shack had been flooded this way.

“I am currently homeless. My house is flooded. I have sent my kids to relatives to seek shelter and I sleep in friends’ houses,” he said.

Mzandile Jacobs said the City must look for a permanent solution.

The Mayoral Committee Member for Urban Mobility, Councillor Rob Quintas, was part of the delegate that visited the road yesterday and he said: “The City is further exploring proposals for upgrading the stormwater system to better cope with greywater and the effects of unlawful occupation along the road. By working with residents we can ensure lasting benefits from these upgrades while protecting the road surface.”