13 Townships, 41 Roads Severely Affected by Heavy Rainfall
- Municipality pleads for patience, promises to fix roads as soon as rains come to an end
- Motorists urged to drive carefully as gravel roads are slippery, some tarred roads have developed huge potholes
The recent heavy rainfall which commenced last week Friday and lasted almost a week has caused extensive damage on the city’s road infrastructure. This happened whilst the city was fresh from another heavy downpour, associated with Tropical Cyclone Eloise, that also left the city’s road network requiring urgent attention. The Municipal Council of Manzini promises to attend to the damaged infrastructure as soon as the rains come to an end. A citywide inspection that was conducted by the Municipality yesterday revealed that at least 41 roads, 17 gravel and 24 surfaced, have been hardest hit by the rainfall. These are located in a total of 13 townships across the city. A large number of gravel roads have been left with shallow gulleys as a result of excessive erosion whilst others have had the gravel top soil washed away; resulting in them being slippery. The affected surfaced roads, most of which are in the Central Business District (CBD), have largely been left with potholes. The Municipality pleads with motorists to drive carefully as the rains are still ongoing; moreso because it is difficult to spot a pothole when there is storm water runoff on the roads. Gravel roads that have been hardest hit are Lwandle road in Moneni, Imfene street in Extension 6, Inkhanyeti street in Sterkstroom, Tallis and Mzimnene roads in Fairview North and Fairview South, Mahleka Crescent, Mbolwane, Lingce, Forbes, Rita, Church street, Ian and Tsekwane streets in Ngwane Park as well as Kurrajong, Westeria, Syringa and Jacaranda Close in Coates Valley. Others have also been affected but not as severe. Surfaced roads that have been left pothole-riddled are Nkoseluhlaza, Martin, Meintjies, Masalesikhundleni, Esselen and Tikhuba in the CBD.
The Central Distributor Road (commonly referred to as Mavuso bypass road) has also developed potholes. Mabaso, Inhlaba, Inyoni, Mazibuko, Nxumalo, Emgcwini, and Bhengu streets in Two Sticks and Zakhele have also been severely affected. Stanley street, Shadrack, Elizabeth, Moira and Collins streets in Ngwane Park have also suffered damages. The most affected in Coates Valley are Acacia and Mimosa. Same with Phempetfwane and Indlondlo roads in Thomasdale. The Municipality continues to monitor the state of the roads and those that have been rendered totally impassable are being temporarily fixed. Residents who have been left unable to access their properties due to extensive damages on the road infrastructure are urged not to wait for the rainfall to stop but immediately notify the Municipality through its 24/7 Call Centre (800 2004/2505 7000) and temporary interventions will be put in place so that they are able to access their residences. The Municipality pleads for patience amongst citizens as this natural disaster was unforeseen. As usual, priority will be given to the most affected roads but the entire city will eventually be covered.
…RELATIVES URGED TO MONITOR, MAINTAIN THEIR LOVED ONES’ GRAVES
- Over 34 graves sinking in Ngwane Park cemetery due to heavy rainfall
At least 34 fresh graves at the Ngwane Park cemetery are sinking. This follows the heavy rainfall which are being experienced in the country. Relatives of loved ones who are buried at the Ngwane Park cemetery are requested to visit the facility and maintain the graves in the event that they form part of those that are collapsing. It is worth-mentioning that most of the graves that are sinking are those of loved ones that were buried just before or after the tropical cyclone Eloise.
According to Regulation 15 of the Manzini Cemeteries Regulations, 1969, the responsibility to maintain graves at the cemetery lies with relatives of those who are buried therein. The Municipality’s responsibility is only the removal of overgrown vegetation. When structural defects arise on the grave, the Municipality does not fix them as that is a matter which has to be addressed by relatives of the buried person. The Municipal Council of Manzini, therefore, takes this opportunity to plead with residents and all other people who have their loved ones buried at the Ngwane Park cemetery to urgently visit the burial facility and ascertain that their loved ones’ graves are still intact. Relatives of those who are buried at the Golf Course cemetery and all other cemeteries in the City of Manzini are urged to do same.
On another note, members of the public are urged to ensure that they engage skilled service providers for preparation of graves for their loved ones; particularly whenever building blocks and other concrete works are to be utilized. The Municipality notes that what causes the graves to collapse is poor workmanship during burial; in particular with regard to soil compaction. The Municipality’s Community Services Department is ready to assist with identification of graves in the event relatives have forgotten the grave numbers. The Municipality further reminds members of the public of the requirement to first submit an application in the event that relatives wish to place a tombstone on their loved one’s grave. This ensures that they receive proper guidance and prevents a situation whereby a tombstone is placed on a wrong grave.
…FORM 1 AND 5 EXAMS: CONGRATS TO EXCELLING MANZINI SCHOOLS
The Municipal Council of Manzini takes this opportunity to congratulate the Manzini Schools that excelled in the 2020 Grade 7 and Form 5 external examinations. Form 5 external examination results were issued early last week whilst those of Grade 7 were released on Monday. Indications are to the effect that both sets of results were relatively the best in a number of years. This is despite that the exams were written under a cloud of Covid-19 which significantly disrupted the education sector as well as other sectors of the economy. Special applause goes to both students and teachers who strove for excellence against all odds. According to information gathered, Manzini city-based schools that made it to the top seven in Form 5 included St Micheal’s, Manzini Nazarene and St Theresa’s whilst Manzini City top performers in Grade 7 included St Theresa’s, Manzini Infant Practising, KaZakhali, Khanyisile, Living Waters, St Micheal’s, Manzini Nazarene, Helemisi FEA and Sydney Williams. Parents and all other stakeholders are encouraged to continue supporting the education sector as it continues to deliver under the new normal. The education sector is one of the Municipality’s key stakeholders because it nurtures future leaders of the city and the country at large. Schools that did not perform satisfactory are implored not to dismay but work even harder this year.
