AFTER many years without street names and endless trouble with potholes, residents in Paradise Beach, Jeffreys Bay, can soon look forward to receiving at least 70 street name boards and the resealing of at least two streets in the area.
Annekie Heyns, the media spokesperson for Paradise Beach Neighbourhood Watch, said the potholes in the area were a problem, especially after heavy rain.
However, she said the Kouga Local Municipality regularly repaired the potholes before they became open ‘giraffe graves’.
Heyns further said the pothole problem had improved greatly in the last few years.
“Paradise Beach is now a much better place than (it was) eight years ago. When we moved here, we fell from one pothole into another,” said Heyns.
Regarding the lack of street names, she said, due to the climate in the area, the street name boards often rusted and bleached, but those who had lived in the town for some time were familiar with the area and could easily get around.
Heyns further said the local neighbourhood watch often circulated a map among the residents which provided clear indications of the various fire evacuations, which was their biggest concern.
“The municipality is really doing a good job with a backlog of many years of neglect and there is a lot of good things planned for Paradise Beach,” said Heyns.
Riaan Kolesky, chairperson of Paradise Beach Neighbourhood Watch, said there has always been a good working relationship among local businesses, the municipality, and residents in Paradise Beach.
With help from the municipality and a donation from various local businesses, a total of 70 street name boards will be installed in various streets throughout Paradise Beach in the next three weeks.
Kolesky said that on March 4, they had begun placing beach rules signage along the beachfront.
“In the last five years, there has been great development in Paradise Beach,” said Kolesky.
In addition to the signage, at least two streets, namely Johan Muller Boulevard – from Koraal Avenue to Anne Avenue – and Harmonie Crescent, will be resealed by the municipality soon.
“There are a few more roads that need to be worked on in the area, but those are not good for resealing and will therefore have to be redone in the next financial year,” said Kolesky.
According to infrastructure and engineering portfolio Councillor, Willem Gertenbach, quite a few streets in Paradise Beach already had street name boards, such as Johan Muller Boulevard and Joey Fourie Drive, to name a few.
However, he said, should the street name boards not yet be up, this should be reported to Ward 12 Councillor, Ben Rheeder.
Regarding the issue of potholes in the area, Gertenbach said the Kouga Municipality was in the process of repairing potholes across the Kouga region.
“Potholes are fixed on a regular basis. The eastern part of Johan Muller Boulevard will be resealed before the end of the current financial year,” said Gertenbach.
“Residents are encouraged to report potholes through the municipality’s Link service delivery app.”
Gertenbach said the app can be downloaded free from the Google Play or App Store or go to www.download.linkapp.co.za#dl.
