Bassonia resident goes the extra mile

“Much, much appreciated Matthew. You are what is called an upstanding citizen.”

SLOGGING AWAY: Matthew Wessels tackling the job of clearing the dried concrete.

After a few months of swerving to avoid concrete which had set hard on the road on Pieter Acroyd Avenue, just before Dibberic Drive in Glen Vista, Bassonia resident Matthew Wessels (25) had had enough and decided to tackle the mess himself, Comaro Chronicle reports.

“The set concrete was a danger to residents’ tyres as it had jagged edges and points after drying out. Last week I swerved to avoid the concrete on the road and narrowly missed a vehicle coming from the other direction. That was when I decided to do something about it myself,” said Matthew.

Matthew set to with his sledgehammer on Sunday morning, January 21, and although it was over 30°C he worked from 8am until 12.30pm. “Community members were awesome and some brought me cans and bottles of cool drink, as well as giving me the thumbs up as the slowly drove by. At around 12pm I was joined by another young man, Dylan Reid, who helped me smash away some of the concrete. I stopped because I had blisters on my hands and was quite badly sun burnt but I intend to go back once my hands are healed and finish the job,” added Matthew.

Bassonia Community Forum commented on their Facebook page: “The community of Bassonia would like to say a big thank you to the gentleman who was chopping away at a big chunk of concrete in Pieter Acroyd Avenue this morning. This wet concrete fell from a moving vehicle in November and, of course, it dried very quickly in the hot sun. It has, since then, caused tyre damage and frustration because drivers needed to swerve. Matthew, many thanks for working so hard. Sweat was pouring from your face when I went past. Much, much appreciated. You are what is called an upstanding citizen.”

Johannesburg Roads Agency was asked for comment: “Spilled concrete on road surfaces is a safety hazard for road users so we thank Matthew and Dylan for being such active and engaged citizens!” said Bertha Peters-Scheepers, operations manager: marketing and communications, Johannesburg Roads Agency.