Reader’s letter | ‘Why remove brick pavers?’

A while ago I was driving down Strand street on my way to Plankenburg when I noticed a very impressive Red Ford GT broken down in the middle of the road.

On closer inspection I saw that it was not the case, but that a man was directing a few workers, who were busy with some or other repair job to the middleman (centre island) of the road.

I had forgotten about the incident until the next Saturday morning, when I saw the same Red Ford GT further up the same road with double the workers and I then saw what was happening. They were actually removing the pavers from the middleman just to replace it with artificial grass instead.

This made me see red. Why would the muni­cipality waste taxpayers money on removing pavers from the curbside (which is going to last forever) and replace it with artificial grass that will probably only look new for one year?

How can the council think that this is a good idea and why would anybody at council approve of this wastage whilst there are people sleeping in the street a few blocks away, who are in desperate need of the money that is washed down the drain with this ludicrous idea? I have since learned that there are other areas in town that were also covered with this plastic grass (corner of Piet Retief and Dorp streets).

The majority of South African towns are struggling to provide basic services to their community but in Stellenbosch we have so much money that we can waste it on replacing curbside pavers with plastic grass to make the town centre look pretty for a year. Are we trying to impress the few tourists that come to Stellenbosch and who are driving along Strand Street in their fancy buses?

What is going to happen when this grass is trampled, dirty and faded after a year? Is the council going to replace it with pavers again?

It is an absolute shame to see how money is wasted in this town – from the annual flowers next to the Braak to the Art Mile next to the Eerste River and now plastic grass on our curbs.

Francois Bossert, EMAIL

Stellenbosch Municipality responds: “We are deeply sorry to hear that the reader does not like the flowerbeds at the Braak or on the traffic islands. We will also share his frustrations about the Stellenbosch Art Mile with the creators and installers of the project.

“We believe most residents and visitors do, however, enjoy the flowerbeds, traffic circles, walkways and the Art Mile.

“Natural grass unfortunately only thrives for about three months of the year, after which it becomes dull or trampled down. Pavers are often stolen, creating ongoing replacement costs.

“The use of small sections of artificial grass combined with perennials, indigenous plants, succulents and colourful flowers helps create a more vibrant and attractive space throughout the year.

“Indeed, as the reader mentions, most SA towns are struggling to provide even the most basic of services but here in Stellenbosch, we deliver some of the best services in the country. We use public funds for public good, unlike in many other towns.”