Vincent Tshabalala Road is repaired at last

After almost three years in a state of disrepair, which was reported numerous times by Alex News, Vincent Tshabalala Road is finally being repaired.

This road is one of the key access and economic routes into the township from Johannesburg, Sandton and the East Rand.

The damage on the piece of the road between 5th and 8th avenues has reduced Vincent Tshabalala Road’s two lanes into one after potholes, some the size of bathtubs and half a metre deep formed, posing a danger to both motorists and residents of shacks along the road.

This has caused vehicles to veer into the one lane to avoid the potholes, causing accidents. Some of the residents said many pedestrians were almost run over by vehicles, particularly in the morning and evening rush-hour traffic.

Alex News reported previous councillors’ complaints, including councillors Mokgadi Radebe, Monde Mbingele and Chris Mabunda’s, over the delayed repairs which they attributed to the council bureaucracy’s ineptness, despite a budget allocation for the road’s maintenance.

The councillors said the Joburg Roads Agency (JRA) and other related entities had attributed the road damage to excess water from storm water drains, water taps left running by the residents and from soapy water from residents’ laundry which corroded the tar.

The agency’s repair team leader, Walter Baudo, said the work will take a few weeks. “It will include retarring the road after curb inlets and grid covers are installed on newly installed pipes, channelling wastewater into the storm water drains,” said Baudo.

Baudo urged councillors to encourage residents to pour all household waste into the inlets to avoid any household and other waste accumulating on the road kerb and damaging the road.

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