Kuyasa residents are demanding answers from the City of Cape Town about what they termed “shoddy work” carried out at Welcome Zenzile bridge in the community.
The 4,6 m bridge was handed over to the community late last year, but is already “crumbling”.
The residents are now accusing the City of not taking them serious.
Community leader and former ward councillor Bongani Ngcani said the project commenced in July last year and was completed early in December.
“The tender for building this bridge was awarded in 2020, but because of some tensions in the community the project had to be halted and the company that was involved withdrew. A new company took over last year,” explained Ngcani.
He said they noticed some damage to the bridge a week ago after sewage got stuck on top of the bridge.
“There was a blocked drain which is here on Zenzile Road at Section 49. The sewage was streaming down the road and got stuck here on the bridge. The sewage stayed there for almost two weeks unattended,” said Ngcani, adding that when he visited the site on Monday 7 February to check, he noticed that the bridge was eroding at the edges.
Ngcani said he immediately informed the City about the incident.
“The officials came to check it but they did nothing. There are no warning signs that show there is something wrong on the bridge. Instead they put concrete slabs around the section of the bridge that is eroding,” he said.
Ngcani stated that their worry is people will get injured and there will be car accidents.
He described the bridge as a link between sections 59 and 60 in Kuyasa.
“There are children from section 60 who are studying at Ludwe Ngamlana primary and Siphamandla high. Others are coming from section 59 and are studying at Sangweni high and Kuyasa Primary School.
“They struggled to go to school when it rained because of the floods. People had to go via Oscar Mpeta Road even if they were coming here to section 56,” he stated.
Ngcani said they wanted the City and the company that built the bridge to account.
He claimed the project was embroiled in controversy.
“There were land surveyors who came here before the construction of the bridge for an assessment. If there was anything the surveyors would have informed us. But if you look on the sides of the bridge the sand is not compact. We are not satisfied with the quality of the job that has been done here,” said Ngcani.
Khayelitsha Development Forum chair Ndithini Tyhido said Khayelitsha residents are disturbed by the “shoddy work” carried out by the City.
He said the incident showed that the municipality did not care about the black townships and its citizens.
He reiterated Ngcani’s sentiments that the construction company should account for its work.
“We’ve been saying that the City doesn’t care about the townships.When they provide the services, particularly to the black townships, it’s like they are doing us a favour.
“And here is the evidence of a bridge which is only two months old, but is already collapsing,” said Tyhido.
The City’s Mayco member for urban mobility Rob Quintas said the incident was reported to the City on 7 February.
He said the Roads Infrastructure Management team in the district immediately conducted a site visit and found that a blocked sewer was overflowing into the roadway and that the sewage was flowing down towards a low point in the road.
Quintas said the sewage spill overtopped the kerb and footway blockages causing the side slopes of the road to erode.