“YOU either stand by, wait and watch tragedy unfold, or you do something,” says Jason McCall.
McCall and his best friend, Marco Crestani, have filled over 40 potholes on a busy road connecting the M13 highway and the centre of Hillcrest. The surface of Kassier Road was badly damaged by the recent KZN floods, although the road was in a suboptimal condition before the downpour.
Crestani and McCall fixed dangerously deep potholes over the course of three weekends and a public holiday.
“Look, it’s a temporary solution to a big problem. The road needs a complete redoing. We just want people to drive on there and not fear for their lives,” says McCall.
How it started
The friends regularly heard about numerous accidents occurring on the road due to drivers keeping their high-beam headlights on to see the potholes and swerving into oncoming traffic to avoid the potholes. This motivated them to do something about the problem even though they had no personal experience in road repairs.
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According to McCall, he and his friend are handy. “Marco’s a civil, and my father literally builds roads and bridges for a living, and, you know, the internet is a place where you can pretty much learn to do anything. So, we studied. And researched. And got the basics of it,” says McCall.
What is needed
“You need cold tar, stompers, some hi-vis stuff like cones and vests, and some effort. That’s it. It takes about 15 minutes to fix a hole, depending on its size. One big patch took us two hours,” he says. “We have filled at least seven holes that are a foot or so deep, about 20 that are less deep but dangerous and loads of other big but not wide holes.”
What is cold tar
Cold tar or cold-mix asphalt does not require a hot application and is commonly used for small repairs or temporary fixes of the road surface. The cold tar cures when compacted and exposed to the air. It can be bought in bags from hardware stores and is convenient and easy to use.
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The two friends met at a Splashy Fen Music Festival over a shared bottle of schnapps. Now living within a kilometre of each other, they are committed to continuing the work.
“Obviously, traffic is a consideration, so we aimed for low traffic and bright days to do the work. We still have more to do and intend on just maintaining the road surface so that it remains driveable for as long as possible,” says McCall.
The community reaction
“It’s been great seeing the power of the community as they came together to support this. Loads of drivers hooted as they went by. Not one private resident has had anything bad to say about the repairs and the inconvenience. It has been a special experience,” says McCall.
Here’s how Durbanites can claim for pothole damage
Motorists can claim from the municipality for pothole damage to vehicles.
Motorists are urged to report potholes and any subsequent damage to the municipality.
For reporting of potholes in the eThekwini metro area, email eservices@durban.gov.za and include the subject ‘pothole’. Provide your name, contact details and photos.
If a motorist wants to claim for pothole damages to their vehicle in person, they must visit the 6th Floor, Florence Mkhize Building, 251 Anton Lembede Street, Durban and fill in the forms provided.
You must have photographic proof of the incident and other information required, including the cost of damages, driver’s licence and ID.
Email for insurance claims is: claims@durban.gov.za.
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