Standerton’s roads are worse for the wear after rain
Commissioner Jonas Sibanyoni remarked, as reported, that sobriety of motorists is assessed by how they navigate potholes.
Accessing certain roads in mid-town is becoming a nightmare.
Most residents will avoid the Coligny Street intersection near the Standerton Police Station, in a northern direction, because of the number of potholes, but Berg Street towards the Standerton Country Club and Standerton Show Grounds, is fast taking on proportions not to be mentioned in a community newspaper.
A driver of a sedan of the light motor variety, bought for petrol consumption ideal in a town, is unable to navigate potholes filled with rain and mud.
Paths have been created on a few streets, where motorists made a plan to avoid the potholes, usually by taking the left shoulder.
In rainy weather, this is asking for trouble.
Spinning wheels when stuck, revving engines and mud spattering on windows are the outward signs of frustration.
The South African Human Rights Commission visited Standerton in February and was taken on a conducted tour through some of the hotspots in mid-town.
Commissioner Jonas Sibanyoni remarked, as reported, that sobriety of motorists is assessed by how they navigate potholes.
Johann Mettler, administrator of the Lekwa Municipality, admitted to erosion of road networks and degradation of municipal roads in July last year.
Community initiatives have been playing their part in repairing potholes in several streets.
Beyers Naudé Street has a slipway past Pick n Pay and, at one point, the busy Leandra Road forces most drivers to reduce speed, watch attentively for oncoming trucks, watch the rear mirror for an impatient driver, and carefully drive over an uneven surface.
However, it is not only mid-town that faces the problem.
Nelson Mandela Drive, testament to massive potholes through Meyerville, carries heavy traffic and streets in Sakhile have not escaped either.
From the point of view of a tourist or a prospective investor, the main thoroughfares to the Free State, KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng leave little to the imagination.
Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula, as quoted by an online business website, said 80% of South Africa’s roads have reached the end of their design life.
