Local government says proper town planning processes were not followed.
A power pole in the middle of a paved street in the Bushbuckridge area of Matsikitsane will be removed by Eskom soon, the municipality has said.
The municipality says the pole has always been there – long before the street was paved. It was in fact put in the middle of the street while it wasn’t yet paved.
Now Eskom will take it away, the Bushbuckridge local municipality said in a statement this week.
The municipality says Matsikitsane is one of many settlements that was established without proper town planning processes being followed. People just came and built homes, while at the same time demanding services from government.
“Residential sites or stands were demarcated without proper town planning which resulted in poor planning and implementation of projects,” reads the municipal statement released Tuesday 16 Jul 2019.
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The residents of Matsikitsane are asked “to exercise patience” while Eskom prepares to remove and “relocate” the power line, said the statement.
“Necessary temporary risk and safety measures has been put in place to ensure the safety of our communities and road users”.
Traditional councils were urged to follow proper procedures when establishing new settlements, it said.
And this will “ensure streets, water, electricity, business sites and recreational facilities are in line with the municipal Spatial Planning and Land Use Management Policy,” it said.
(edited by MLM)
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