Roadworks and road resurfacing had started in Voortrekker Street in September.
The Thaba Chweu Local Municipality (TCLM) asked residents to be patient as it would be a five-month project. It has since been confirmed by TCLM that it will take longer than expected.
In late December, a Toyota Quantum drove into one of the three trenches in front of Quick Lane Tyre and Auto Centre. Employees Lucky Mzimba and Joseph Nonyane were on the scene to try and assist the driver. According to them, the Quantum had tried to make a U-turn in the parking lot and ended up in a trench. In the end it took hours to get the vehicle out.
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“The inconveniences to our clients are immense as they are struggling to reach us and enter our premises,” said Clifford McGee, dealer principal of McGee Ford.
The dealer principal of Morgan Nissan, part of the Morgan Group, Adelene le Roux, said the state of Voortrekker Street is appalling.
“It affects our day-to-day operations. Vehicle carriers that deliver new vehicles are unable to enter our premises and need to park at least a block away. We can’t use the Voortrekker Street entrance. While on holiday, it was disheartening to see how well some other provinces maintain their roads and towns. And this is what we have to cope with,” said Le Roux.
TLCM said the resurfacing project has been delayed due to community protests, budgetary constraints, technical issues and bad weather conditions.
“These factors led to the alteration of the scope of work for the project to suit engineering requirements and service delivery imperatives. All the technical issues have now been resolved. Due to the suppliers’ Christmas break, the project has been set back for a month and it is now envisaged to be completed later this year. We would like to apologise to the businesses located within the refurbished stretch of the road and the public in general for the inconvenience caused due to the delays,” said Themba Sibiya, the communication and marketing manager of TCLM.
Other businesses in Voortrekker Street are also inconvenienced. The road was blocked for motorists toward The Heads, but the public removed the barriers.
“Nobody was happy with this arrangement, because it is the main road of the town. This is affecting our business severely,” said Johnny Baptista, owner of Spaar-O-Rama Supermarket.
The motorists’ headaches are unfortunately not entirely over, as stage 2 of the project has not kicked off yet. When this stage will conclude is still unknown.
