TYGER VALLEY
POP IN!!
WINNER BEST
FREE NEWSPAPER IN SA
DROUGHT TOLERANT PLANT SALE
NOW ON!! ENDS 1 MAY 2018
X1UFY3C9-AL250418
Woensdag, 25 April 2018 | Tel: 021 910 6500 | e-pos: nuus@tygerburger.co.za
N! E W
@TygerBurger
LOEVENSTEIN: ROADWORKS BLAMED FOR CRACKS IN HOUSES
Cracks: who is to blame? NIELEN DE KLERK @nielendk
A
Régtig? Kom jy ook Grand Jol toe? TygerBurger en Suidooster, kykNET se gewilde sepie, gaan die dansbane warm hou op Saterdag 5 Mei met die Grand Jol by GrandWest. Kom skuur skouers met die akteurs en sokkie of langarm saam met Kurt Darren, Salome en Emo Adams, om maar ’n paar van die kunstenaars te noem wat gaan optree. Die vennote het die afgelope Saterdag by N1-Stad in Goodwood voorbrand gedoen vir die Grand Jol. Kaartjies verkoop vinnig, en drie gelukkige lesers wat teen Vrydag 27 April om 13:00 vir TygerBurger ’n foto van hulself met hul klaargekoopte kaartjie stuur, kan boonop een van drie R1 000-Checkers-geskenkbewyse wen! Stuur jou foto na wen@tygerburger.co.za. (Ons mag versoek om die foto van naderby te bekyk). Op hierdie foto by die N1-Stad lyk dit of Veronica van Wyk van Parow en Dean Smith skinder oor die groot geleentheid. FOTO: CARINA ROUX
TygerBurger
group of residents from Loevenstein are on the warpath because of numerous cracks on their properties they believe were caused by the nearby N1 roadworks. The Department of Transport and Public Works is currently busy with a multimillion rand project to ease congestion on the highway and has enlisted contractor Martin & East to work on the road. “It’s horrendous,” says Sello Lehong, who has had an uphill battle for months trying to ascertain who is to blame. Other residents have resorted to more extreme measures. In recent days, thousands of flyers were distributed in Boston and Loevenstein, warning residents about damages to property due to the N1 roadworks. The author of these flyers, Dave Petersen, lives close to Lehong in a home overlooking the N1. Visible cracks adorn the walls and floors of his home. Petersen says he noticed the cracks in his home early in 2016. A neighbour approached him about the cracks in the neighbour’s home and this is when Petersen realised the problem is more widespread than initially thought. He submitted a claim to his insurance company, but it was refused. Petersen has received quotes for the damage to his home and faces spending at least R80 000 on repairs. Petersen contacted the department and experts were appointed to assess the situation.
Documents sent to Petersen by law firm Clyde & Co on behalf of Martin & East’s insurance company say specialist independent engineers were sent to the site to conduct tests relating to ground vibrations. These experts concluded that many of the cracks are related to the “sustained drought” in the Western Cape “and the associated desiccation of the soil which in turn results in a volumetric change of the moisture-sensitive soil”. It says other cracks and damage to his pool are believed to have been caused by the “concrete surface bed” and consolidation of the soil around the pool. “Experts have concluded that the construction activity on the N1 played no role in the development of the cracks in the building structure and the swimming pool,” the report says. Petersen disputes this finding and says the company will probably blame “Jacob Zuma, apartheid or Jan van Riebeeck” if they have the chance. Other neighbours haven’t received the feedback Petersen has. Lehong hasn’t received a formal assessment from the contractors or their insurance company yet, despite contacting them early in 2017. “I haven’t exhausted all available options,” he says when asked whether he is considering legal action. Petersen has since contacted his own independent engineers and is in talks with his lawyers. He has received calls from as far away as Boston from homeowners with the same problem. V To page 2.