Road project in Kempton Park fuels frustration

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28-09-2023
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Kempton Express
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They said it would have been better if the municipality had notified them about the project that was about to take place.

The road construction that is taking place on the doorstep of their businesses frustrates business owners in West Street, Kempton Park.

The owner of M.Pro Car Clinic, Waldo van de Walt, said it caught him and other business owners off-guard when city workers started cutting tyres and digging the pavement in front of their stores without alerting them of the project.

“The digging started over a weekend. What if people broke into the workshop?

“Not even security companies could access the place. It is not the municipality’s problem because they are not concerned.

“When we got to work on September 18, we realised we don’t have access to the shop,” said Van de Walt.

Van de Walt said he works on a hand-to-mouth business and the little he gets in makes a difference in his business and the lives of his employees.

“I deal with broken cars. Most cars that come in are on trucks and it needs fixing. My customers are angry at me because they cannot get their repaired vehicles. This means I also would not get paid because their cars are still in my shop.”

Fellow business owner, Shelli-Anne van Vuuren said it was difficult for her customers to access her shop and did not know where to park, which led to cancellations.

“The area is a crime hotspot because of the cemetery, and we have drug addicts sleeping in front of our shops.”

“It is crazy that we have to park our cars down the road and walk to work. If the municipality would have done the pavement only, it would have been a different scenario, but contractors have dug up the whole road and now there is no access to our properties.”

“This mess means a loss of income because our customers cannot reach us.

The business owners said the municipality did not inform them about the project.

“It would have been nice if the municipality informed us that the project was about to take place.

“We want answers and guidance. We need to understand the timeline because we saw such projects can last for weeks and months,” said Lloyd Sibangani, owner of Kemptonion Mag Rim Repair.

“When customers see the project, they assume that we have closed the business and go to other mechanics.”

The Kempton Express sent an enquiry regarding the matter to the City of Ekurhuleni on September 18 and requested a comment by September 21.

We received no comment at the time of going to print.