Residents and business owners in Wickboom Lane, Simon’s Town, are at their wits' end with ongoing construction in the lane due to frequent water pipe bursts.
According to the City's mayoral committee member for water and sanitation, Zahid Badroodien, construction will take another month and is expected to be complete on Tuesday April 15.
Nawaal Sadien, owner of the Blue Cherry Thrift, said that construction had been ongoing for more than a month, and it has affected business in the lane.
As Wickboom Lane is the only access route to the properties situated on the mountain, the ongoing works have created significant challenges for both residents and business owners.
"It looks like a war zone. There is rubble outside my shop and holes outside the entrance. I've had to close my shop on some days due to the noise from the bulldozer. People don’t want to come up the lane when they see the state of it," said Ms Sadien.
Construction currently ongoing outside Blue Cherry Thrift in Wickboom Lane in Simon's Town. Shop owner Nawaal Sadien said she had been forced to close the shop on some days due to noise and ongoing construction.
Image: Yolande du Preez
Resident Marlene van Dyk, an artist, said she had suffered severe damage to her property last week when her house flooded after construction debris blocked one of the canals that drains water.
"I lost most of my electrical appliances, and some of my paintings were damaged," she said.
She said there were frequent water outages in Wickboom Lane, and surrounds, and said it had been a problem for years.
In February 2023, the Echo reported that residents in nearby Thomas Street, Water Lane, and Ricketts Close - all of which are only accessible via Wickboom Lane - experienced 29 water outages in 2022, averaging two a month.
At the time, residents of Ricketts Close who were without water for six days, expressed concern about the potential collapse of the road due to heavy trucks using the narrow lane for construction purposes.
At the time, the City said that a five-ton weight restriction had been imposed on Wickboom Lane to limit the use of vehicles exceeding five tons ("Narrow lane is no place for trucks, say residents," Echo, February 2023).
A view from the top of Wickboom Lane in Simon's Town.
Image: Yolande du Preez
A trickle of water running down Wickboom Lane on Sunday March 16 during a visit by the Echo.
Image: Yolande du Preez
Mr Badroodien said the Thomas/Wickboom water pipe replacement project started in January this year.
"This project was initiated as a result of pipe bursts and to rehabilitate the old water pipes for an uninterrupted water supply in the area," he said, adding that the City is systematically replacing old pipes annually, with a focus on the priority pipelines identified in its pipe prioritisation programme.
In response to damages by residents and the impact on businesses, the City's mayoral committee member for finance Siseko Mbandezi, said that affected individuals can submit a claim application to the City’s insurance claims section for compensation.
"Residents who have suffered damages or are being directly affected by the construction project may submit a claim application by completing a public liability claim form and providing all supporting information. This includes invoices detailing the costs of repairs, quotations for estimated repair costs, and photographs depicting the damage," he said.
He said each claim would be assessed individually, with an evaluation of whether there had been any negligence or omission on the City’s part.
"Once the City has received the resident’s claim form or formal correspondence, a reference number will be provided for all future liaison," he added.
Visit the City’s website to access and complete the public liability claim form.
The view up Wickboom Lane from the main road. The historic cobbled stone road had been completely destroyed due to ongoing construction.
Image: Yolande du Preez