Pothole vigilante told to stop

Resident, Tracy Lynham said although she was new to the area she understood that Richard and Bushwillow roads had been in an appalling condition for many years and endless complaints from residents yielded no results.

“At one stage even the 4×4’s couldn’t negotiate their way out of these potholes,” she said.

Lynham was surprised to see a man filling in these potholes with sand and gravel, asking for nothing more than donations to feed his family.

Hendrik places a board alongside the pothole he is working on which reads: ‘Fixing roads – any donations welcome, thanks.’ He was even invited onto a well-known radio show to talk about his initiative.

However, Lynham explained that the added publicity had now put an end to Hendrik’s efforts. He was allegedly told by Johannesburg Roads Agency inspectors that he shouldn’t be fixing the roads as it was their responsibility.

Bertha Peters-Scheepers, spokesperson of the roads agency said while Hendrik’s intention was noble, filling in potholes is unfortunately illegal because of the serious issues around the safety of the individual with regards to barricading and wearing the correct protective clothing.

“The roads agency acknowledges Hendrik’s efforts as an active citizen, but the agency only utilises specifically refined sand to fill potholes,” she said. “Filling of potholes should be done by the roads agency or any person authorised by them to do so to ensure work is in line with acceptable roads agency safety and standards.”

Peters-Scheepers added that the roads agency had a number of initiatives to create work in communities especially for the youth and women.