On 12 January, the Roodekrans Neighbourhood Watch decided to take matters into their own hands when they repaired several potholes on the roads in Roodekrans and Helderkruin, especially on Ouklip Road.
The cleverly named RNW Road Gang came prepared; clad in their RNW vests with determined expressions, they brought all the necessary materials along with them.
The purpose of fixing the potholes was not to make the roads safer only for motorists and residents, but also for the reaction officers. The fixed roads allow the RNW reaction officers and other emergency services to get to emergency scenes easier, faster and safely.
Ward 83 councillor, Florence Roberts, expressed her pride and gratitude for the RNW and their hard work, saying, “Thank you to all who assisted with the pothole repairs. Thank you for your dedication and sacrifice.”
The backlog the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) is experiencing is growing by the day, so to help not only the City entity, but the residents and motorists in the area as well, the RNW members braved the heat and fixed several potholes themselves.
“I was inundated with residents’ complaints, which I escalated to JRA,” said Florence. The JRA Depot will be managing the logged calls from Wednesday, 15 January, but in the interim, RNW heeded to the call of residents about the potholes. The obstacles in the road were becoming increasingly dangerous, and this particular neighbourhood watch wanted to help.
RNW has tackled potholes many times before and because of their past experience in filling them, they know all the correct procedures and which materials to use to fill the potholes correctly and safely. On the Sunday, 1 750kg of tar was shifted and numerous potholes were filled on Ouklip Road, at the Total Garage, Westways Shopping Centre, and near Debonair Avenue. Several potholes were also filled on Mimosa Street near Fat Boys Pub & Grill, as well as on Rosemary and Vuurlelie Streets.
The community of Ward 83 responded with great appreciation and admiration for the work the RNW has done. Martin Lombard from the Roodekrans Neighbourhood Watch responded to comments on Facebook saying, “We are aware of so many more [potholes] requiring attention and will get to them as soon as we can. It’s quite the exercise physically and financially. Thank you for your thanks and support.”
