VRTHEID KZN: Huge potholes in Stillwater Road

Vryheid is no stranger to yawning potholes around town…
Some of them have been attended to, but there are other roads that are not fixed. Complaints have been pouring in regarding the potholes in Stillwater Road (P289). This road forms an artificial link between Vryheid and eDumbe town. It also falls under the Empangeni region of KwaZulu-Natal under Ward 9 of AbaQulusi Local Municipality, with Zululand District.

Many people use this road on a daily basis; mainly it is used by farmers who are involved in plantations, the transportation of goods in the area, and for livestock farming activities. However, the huge, gaping potholes make it difficult for road-users. Farmers have commented that potholes are road hazards that can puncture one’s tyres or bend / crack a wheel, and can also cause accidents due to drivers losing control of their vehicles upon hitting a pothole. It is said that every year, close to 3600 people die due to pothole-related accidents. The Ministry of Transport & Highways provided figures that there have been over 9300 deaths and 2509 injuries in the last three years due to potholes.

A concerned citizen of Vryheid gave his comment about the Stillwater road, as he often uses it. He said, “We live and drive on that road every day. This road has been in a shocking condition for years now. There have been numerous requests by people living in the area to get the authorities to repair the road, but it falls on deaf ears. My wife has damaged her car rim on one of the potholes; and there is spilled oil on the road from a vehicle that smashed its sump on a deep hole. Last week, I came across an armed response vehicle stranded at the side of the road with two flat tyres and a damaged rim. They were on their way to a panic button call-out. These potholes are extremely dangerous and it is just a matter of time before someone has a serious accident on this road,” he concluded.

The Vryheid Herald sent an enquiry to the Department of Transport regarding potholes on road P289 and departmental spokesperson Gugu Sisilana commented that, “During the visual inspection done on June 7, the assessment revealed that this road has multiple potholes because of its lifespan. The Vryheid office is currently in the process of compiling specification to be submitted to BSC in order to get the supplier to patch the existing potholes to try and make it in a traversable condition.

“The internal team will start on July 1, 2021, doing patching on the potholes that were identified during inspection, although during inspection, it is clear that the base of this road is badly damaged, which might make it very challenging to patch with an internal team. It is anticipated that the awarded contractor will start on site by the beginning of November 2021 for the pothole patching.

“The estimated cost for the maintenance of P289 is R2,000,000, which is pothole patching, wherein we estimate to do 2200m² in the 2021/2022 financial year. The Vryheid Cost Centre is committed to regularly maintaining its road network. The only challenge faced is the minimum budget allocated.”

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