City se gat

The road to hell is paved with good intentions. But a hard-working Bonteheuwel family have been to hell and back after the City of Cape Town tore up their newly-renovated driveway and filled the holes with sand.

Now, a furious Chantal Adams and her boyfriend, Taswell Petersen, who have been living in the Vlamboom Street house for six years, want the City to fix their mess.

Chantal says in February, City contract workers came to install a new electrical box in their home. She was not too happy because she and Taswell had just spent R2 600 to fix the driveway.

However, she signed a contract with the City which stated that paving dug up around the house would be replaced.

She says trenches were dug up from the pavement on the road, all they way up her driveway, to the front door, to lay new power cables.

But to her shock, when the workers were finished, they simply filled the trenches with sand and left.

“We worked hard and saved up to paint the paving and plaster the wall. Then they came and dug everything up. All our money [is gone] down the drain,” says Chantal.

“We were planning on hosting my father’s 73rd birthday in the driveway, but can’t now because it’s a mess.”

INCONVENIENCE: Trenches in the driveway. CREDIT: Bertram Malgas

She called the contractors, Marius Smith and Richard Bekker, who allegedly said it was too dangerous to return to the area.

“I’ve called them every week after they installed the electrical box and they told me, ‘No, there are gangs in the area, it’s not safe to work there', or they are still waiting for tar [for the paving].”

The gatvol woman says they should have thought about gang violence before accepting the contract.

“The would never do a half job like this in white areas,” she said angrily.

Mayoral Committee Member for Area Central, Councillor Siyabulela Mamkeli, is aware of the situation.

Mamkeli said: “City officials have contacted Ms Adams off the back of this complaint and have explained that the contractor could only undertake the work after the appointment of community liaison officers as the area is too volatile to work in without these structures in place.

“In addition, the project was halted for approximately two months due to an application for additional funding. "The City apologises for the inconvenience while formal services are being extended to backyarders in the area.”

The Daily Voice spoke to Smith yesterday, who referred inquiries “to his office”, while Bekker referred all inquiries to Smith.