A number of Duncan Village roads are slowly disintegrating because of water leaks which have gone unfixed for years.
On a drive through the township, the Daily Dispatch found nine streets with uneven tar and huge potholes, some so bad they are impossible to traverse.
All the streets had streams of water flowing from an unidentified source or adjacent pools of dirty, stagnant water.
Residents said the worst streets included Douglas Smith Highway, Bhebhelele Road, Kretsi, Jiba, Duze, Jabavu, Dizamahlebo and Dangazele Street.
Akhona Ntatase, a Jiba Street resident, said there were always water puddles in her street which flowed from an adjacent street. She suspected it came from a reservoir as the water was fresh.
“We are situated on a slope so the water flows from the street above us and dams up in our street. We don’t know where it comes from. We never find the source when we go up there to investigate,” Ntatase said.
“On some days it gushes down, on other days it’s just a small trickle. But, however it comes, it always pools here, and now the road is being worn away because of it.”
Jiba Street not only has huge potholes on the corner which connects it to Ford Street, but becomes uneven and bumpy in places where huge chunks of tar are missing.
Motorist Odwa Hange said driving on gravel roads in the rural areas was easier than travelling in the township.
Hange complained about the traffic circle in Douglas Smith Highway, where huge holes in the road force motorists to drive over the circle instead of around it.
“The road situation here is terrible and the municipality is doing nothing to fix it. Our cars are getting damaged on a daily basis. I think that if the municipality refuses to fix the road then they should refund us for damage to our cars,” he said.
Thulani Rangayi, from Bhebhelele Street, said the dirty puddles of water made their living situations even worse. “Most people here are poor, with many living in shacks. This water mixes with the rubbish and stinks. We walk down these streets every day and our children play in it every day. It’s really disgusting.”
Buffalo City Metro spokesman Thandy Matebese said the budget to repair these roads would come from the R80-million set aside from the capital budget to rehabilitate roads and storm water infrastructure throughout the metro.
These are the roads identified by ward councillors, BCM’s pavement management system and inspection by BCM staff.
Follow up questions, asking for a street by street breakdown and a commencement date for the roadworks were sent on Monday but no response had been received by the time of writing.
Disintegrating roads hazard
On a drive through the township, the Daily Dispatch found nine streets with uneven tar and huge potholes, some so bad they are impossible to traverse.
All the streets had streams of water flowing from an unidentified source or adjacent pools of dirty, stagnant water.
Residents said the worst streets included Douglas Smith Highway, Bhebhelele Road, Kretsi, Jiba, Duze, Jabavu, Dizamahlebo and Dangazele Street.
Akhona Ntatase, a Jiba Street resident, said there were always water puddles in her street which flowed from an adjacent street. She suspected it came from a reservoir as the water was fresh.
“We are situated on a slope so the water flows from the street above us and dams up in our street. We don’t know where it comes from. We never find the source when we go up there to investigate,” Ntatase said.
“On some days it gushes down, on other days it’s just a small trickle. But, however it comes, it always pools here, and now the road is being worn away because of it.”
Jiba Street not only has huge potholes on the corner which connects it to Ford Street, but becomes uneven and bumpy in places where huge chunks of tar are missing.
Motorist Odwa Hange said driving on gravel roads in the rural areas was easier than travelling in the township.
Hange complained about the traffic circle in Douglas Smith Highway, where huge holes in the road force motorists to drive over the circle instead of around it.
“The road situation here is terrible and the municipality is doing nothing to fix it. Our cars are getting damaged on a daily basis. I think that if the municipality refuses to fix the road then they should refund us for damage to our cars,” he said.
Thulani Rangayi, from Bhebhelele Street, said the dirty puddles of water made their living situations even worse. “Most people here are poor, with many living in shacks. This water mixes with the rubbish and stinks. We walk down these streets every day and our children play in it every day. It’s really disgusting.”
Buffalo City Metro spokesman Thandy Matebese said the budget to repair these roads would come from the R80-million set aside from the capital budget to rehabilitate roads and storm water infrastructure throughout the metro.
These are the roads identified by ward councillors, BCM’s pavement management system and inspection by BCM staff.
Follow up questions, asking for a street by street breakdown and a commencement date for the roadworks were sent on Monday but no response had been received by the time of writing.
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