‘This is a disaster waiting to happen,’ said a local councillor, Mr Carlos Rebelo, while pointing to several dangerous potholes in this street on Monday afternoon.
For some time, the one side of the section of Coronation Street between Reineke Street and Onyx Drive has been very bumpy due to the road surface being pushed up by tree roots. The road surface has started to crack in spots where it is pushed up by the roots.
To make matters worse, several potholes have now started to develop from these cracks.
‘Because of this, many motorists have now started to drive in the lane of oncoming traffic,’ Rebelo pointed out.
This is very dangerous, as the potholes are near blind corners. The potholes are so deep that motorists who are forced to drive through them, can easily damage their vehicle’s tyres or rims.
An increasing number of motorists have started to use this street in recent years because it is a shortcut through town and to Carletonville mall. Adding to the danger, there is no white line in the middle of the road.
Rebelo and other road users also pointed out that the potholes will become deeper once the rainy season starts.
‘Once investigated, the problem will be attended to. The municipality is currently busy fixing potholes in all areas of Merafong,’ was a municipal spokesperson’s only response to questions about the matter on Tuesday.

A motorist swerves to avoid another deep and dangerous pothole.