The pedestrian bridge connecting Westlake Village to the Steenberg Village Shopping Centre has been repaired by the Westlake United Church Trust.
Despite being in a state of disrepair, unsafe and dangerous to use, more than 500 people continued to use the bridge daily, says WUCT general manager Pieter Greyling.
“Most businesses are understandably unwilling to contribute to repairs because the vandalism abates and destroys the repairs. After some discussion, the trustees of WUCT decided to effect emergency repairs. Without a functioning bridge, our staff must pay R15 taxi fare one way. Further to this, taxis don’t operate this route in the mornings,” Mr Greyling said.
Years of neglect and some rotten beams meant that a lot of work needed to be done, said Mr Greyling.
The trust undertook to replace missing and broken wooden slats. The estimated cost was R20 000 for treated deck timber and labour. The trustees donated their own money, and the trust paid the balance.
Repairs began on Thursday May 8 with stabilisation of the beams under the bridge. On Thursday May 16, the team of three maintenance workers, Andre Solomons, Shane Cockrane and Mustapha Pang, began working on the top of the walkway.
“Broken slats were removed, good slats were moved to cover gaps, broken screws and nails removed and new slats screwed in. Although the bridge is functional today some more slats need to be replaced. While this is an emergency repair, we have used quality materials and capable workmanship,” Mr Greyling said.
Thandinkosi Mhlaba, treasurer of the Westlake Development Forum, said the community needed a more permanent solution to stabilise the bridge.
The owners of the property should consider installing a concrete and steel bridge, he said, adding that because the property was not owned by the City, it had no responsibility to maintain or develop the site, which had created a boundary between haves and have-nots.
“No one is forthcoming in bridging the gap and fixing those boundaries which separates us. The reality is that Tokai is an area where a lot more affluent people reside who don’t realise they have a social responsibility and should be forthcoming in trying to assist,” he said.
“Our wives and our parents for years were not able to walk over to the shopping centre and if they do, they fear they might fall and hurt themselves very badly. It reflects on the dignity bestowed on Westlake residents.”
