Local youth inspired by group filling potholes for the greater good of the country
A Grade 9 learner met with Betereinders head and discovered the power of collective action in bettering society.
Shani Botha (Grade 9) writes:
Betereinders, roughly translated as ‘a better ending’, is an organisation trying to better life for all South Africans.
Everyone is tired of potholes taking over our roads. That’s why the Betereinders team came up with their Gatvol project, to fill potholes to make roads safe again.
‘Gatvol’ translates to, and is a play on the Afrikaans word for fed-up with something, but also to fill up a hole.
Interviewing Schalk van Heerden, chairman of Betereinders, was an eye-opening experience.
This is what he had to say, “We’re not just fixing roads, we’re fixing the country and relationships. People feel disempowered and trapped in a cycle of complaining. At Betereinders, we fix roads to fix the country, and we give everyone an opportunity to take action.”
The Gatvol project filled its first pothole in 2020 and the amazing thing is that those potholes are still filled to this day!
The mix that is used is not the traditional cold asphalt filling but rather a strong, unique chemical mixture.
Since its launch, there are now more than 750 people filling potholes but more than 20 000 people drive over these ‘holes’ every day, keeping the mixture in place.
After speaking with Van Heerden, I discovered that they encourage everyone to become involved. Their logo BE 1 means, ‘everyone working together as one community from all races and ages who work together as one’.
He also quoted Tim du Plessis, a media expert, saying, “It is the government that failed, not the people of the country.”
This leaves us with the question, Isn’t this broad-based community action what our democracy is all about?
I am inspired and want to become an active citizen after this uplifting experience.
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