Driving on the streets of President Park is a struggle as huge traffic volumes make a simple car ride a horrible driving experience.
These were the words of an angry President Park resident, Debby Kleynhans, who has described the state of some roads in the suburb as a ‘total mess and disgrace.’
Kleynhans, who has been a resident for three years now, said because the roads have been patched so many times, they are no longer smooth to drive on. “ It would be better to scrape the tar and start from scratch because the potholes are so big. And if it gets repaired, the potholes are back in a week or two.”
Swart Drive, Fouché Street, Brand and West roads are the most affected roads and in a dilapidated state. Midrand Reporter on April 22 met with Kleynhans and Billy Mkhasibe who repair potholes using sand and water. We ventured from Swart Drive to Brand Road towards West Road where multiple potholes were encountered.
At the corner of Brand and West a huge pothole was measured – about 1m wide and just above ankle-level in depth. Another pothole is on the corner of West and Pretoria Main roads which was above ankle level.
The drive then proceeded on Pretoria Road before turning into Dale Road and connecting to Fouché Street. On Fouche, which is less than 1km, a total of 70 potholes were counted before connecting to Brand which led us back to Swart.
Unemployed man makes ends meet by fixing potholes
An unemployed man, who holds a certificate in finance, says he fixes potholes around President Park with sand and water to make a living.
Mkhasibe from Clayiville Ext 45 said he has been fixing potholes around President Park for the past five months now. “Getting a job has been difficult. So I took it upon myself to start fixing potholes because I am trying to make a living from handouts. I am trying to get a job but it’s a challenge, and I can survive on handouts,” said Mkhasibe.SMMEs to get the nod to fix potholes
The Johannesburg Road Agency (JRA0 urges residents to refrain from fixing potholes because they use a certain method of repairing them and will account to motorists who damage their cars at the pothole they did not repair.
JRA PR and communication assistant manager Lucia Mhlanga said, “It should be noted that the maintenance of roads and/or the fixing of potholes is treated as routine road maintenance and it is reactive. To know and find the areas where work needs to be done, road maintenance teams conduct inspections. From there, they schedule the work that needs to be done as per the outcomes of the inspections.”
Acting CEO of JRA Louis Nel told Talk Radio 702’s breakfast show host Bongani Bingwa on April 25, that as much as they want to appreciate those who fix potholes across the city, there is a by-law that forbids them from doing that. “There is a way that we fix them [potholes] from reoccurring. I think it’s important for people not to fix those potholes because then comes the issue of accountability. We are looking at different modules such as involving SMMEs who will get training on how to repair potholes but we have not begun yet. We are looking at the current budget first,” Nel told Bingwa.
Ward 110 councillor Angelina Mphaho had not responded at the time of going to print after being asked about people and kids fixing potholes around President Park on April 28. Mphaho was reminded on May 1 and again on May 2 where she acknowledged our query.
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Glen Austin residents get hands dirty and patch up potholes with concrete and cement
