BCM’s long-suffering motorists say they haven’t seen much progress in the year since the metro declared war on the potholes blighting its streets.
Commuters complain their tyres still suffer puncture after puncture.
At the time of the announcement the metro promised to fix every pothole-riddled street and any road showing signs of corrosion.
So far, teams of workers have managed to fix holes in 755 streets across the metro.
BCM spokesman Sibusiso Cindi said although the local authority has a standing maintenance plan and budget, the number of potholes in the city warranted a “reenforcement plan”, which the metro has since devised.
“The municipality has bought machinery to accelerate the programme. We have bought trucks, a small plant for trimming and rehabilitating potholes, and rollers and graders,” he said.
But East London residents say they are still victims of poorly maintained roads.
Pefferville resident Nwabisa Ntsinga said they had lived with potholes for as long as she could remember. “The state of our roads is despicable. Our street was destroyed by the water coming out of the public toilets that had been broken for years.
“The municipality has never bothered to fix these potholes and now they have finally made this road unusable,” said Ntsinga .
At the corner of Zeffer Street the tar has completely worn away. The holes now collect waste water from a communal tap at the top of the street and seeping public toilets.
One street away, the Daily Dispatch team spoke to Levanche Prins, who is a regular victim of punctures.
“In a month I get at least one puncture and this is expensive for me.
“I can not afford to be changing tyres every month,” said Prins.
Infrastructure and engineering portfolio head Ncedo Kumbaca said the metro had a challenge in Gonubie, where some roads were completely worn out and in need of major revamping.
“We plead with motorists to be patient. Some roads, especially in Gonubie, are not just riddled with potholes but have gone past their time, and that brings a different dynamic into the project. But we are still committed to fixing these roads,” said Kumbaca. — simthandilef@dispatch.co.za
BCM’s eyes fixed on potholes
Commuters complain their tyres still suffer puncture after puncture.
At the time of the announcement the metro promised to fix every pothole-riddled street and any road showing signs of corrosion.
So far, teams of workers have managed to fix holes in 755 streets across the metro.
BCM spokesman Sibusiso Cindi said although the local authority has a standing maintenance plan and budget, the number of potholes in the city warranted a “reenforcement plan”, which the metro has since devised.
“The municipality has bought machinery to accelerate the programme. We have bought trucks, a small plant for trimming and rehabilitating potholes, and rollers and graders,” he said.
But East London residents say they are still victims of poorly maintained roads.
Pefferville resident Nwabisa Ntsinga said they had lived with potholes for as long as she could remember. “The state of our roads is despicable. Our street was destroyed by the water coming out of the public toilets that had been broken for years.
“The municipality has never bothered to fix these potholes and now they have finally made this road unusable,” said Ntsinga .
At the corner of Zeffer Street the tar has completely worn away. The holes now collect waste water from a communal tap at the top of the street and seeping public toilets.
One street away, the Daily Dispatch team spoke to Levanche Prins, who is a regular victim of punctures.
“In a month I get at least one puncture and this is expensive for me.
“I can not afford to be changing tyres every month,” said Prins.
Infrastructure and engineering portfolio head Ncedo Kumbaca said the metro had a challenge in Gonubie, where some roads were completely worn out and in need of major revamping.
“We plead with motorists to be patient. Some roads, especially in Gonubie, are not just riddled with potholes but have gone past their time, and that brings a different dynamic into the project. But we are still committed to fixing these roads,” said Kumbaca. — simthandilef@dispatch.co.za
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