Recent rains have exposed many more potholes on Buffalo City Metro roads and residents have taken it upon themselves to fill the holes with bricks and cement.
Marius Sardinha, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, said that Dick King Road, Amalinda, which leads to the entrance and exit of the church was in an “exceptionally poor state”.
“The entire road has deteriorated over the years , with huge potholes, which are unsightly and in fact dangerous for members walking on this stretch of road, and the damage it causes to our vehicles.
“Not to mention the state of this road when it rains. It is a matter of urgency that the BCM once and for all puts this problem to rest,” said Sardinha.
When the Dispatch visited this road yesterday many cars were driving up onto the grass embankments to avoid the numerous potholes.
While in a small suburb near Berlin, Tammy-Lee Hamber, of Fairfields, said that she and some neighbours had tried, to no avail, to get the road which leads to their suburb fixed.
“When I phoned I just got excuses like: there is no battery for the grader, the grader was sabotaged or it has punctures. Now when I phone the lady has my number so she just ignores me.
“It can’t stay like that. It damages people’s vehicles. It could cause you to roll your car. If someone is sick how is an ambulance meant to go on that road? It needs to be tarred,” said Hamber.
Driving through Gonubie the Daily Dispatch noticed that rubble, broken brick and tiles, had been used to fill potholes in some avenues.
Valerie Knoetze, chairperson of the Gonubie Rate Payers Association, said that there were many very bad roads in the suburb adding “some roads are so bad they’re not even worth driving down”.
Knoetze said that some residents were taking it upon themselves to try and repair potholes around Gonubie by filling them with sabunga. She said in the last Integrated Development Plan (IDP) for the city “R14.5-million was allocated to fix Gonubie roads. Where is that money spent? Who decided what roads need to be fixed? Because they don’t consult the local ratepayers. Let ratepayers have a say.
“Many years ago someone who owned a jet patcher, which is much faster than doing it by hand, offered to come fix the Gonubie potholes but BCM turned him down,” said Knoetze.
She said the potholes were especially dangerous at night when they could not be seen, adding that she knew a few people who had written off a tyre or two and expressed concern that the poor roads may hamper emergency services.
Questions sent to BCM for comment had not been responded to by the time of going to print.
lDo you have a pothole problem in the Buffalo City Metro area? If so, please send the details, location and a pic to us at city@dispatch.co.za
Potholes causing havoc in BCM
Marius Sardinha, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, said that Dick King Road, Amalinda, which leads to the entrance and exit of the church was in an “exceptionally poor state”.
“The entire road has deteriorated over the years , with huge potholes, which are unsightly and in fact dangerous for members walking on this stretch of road, and the damage it causes to our vehicles.
“Not to mention the state of this road when it rains. It is a matter of urgency that the BCM once and for all puts this problem to rest,” said Sardinha.
When the Dispatch visited this road yesterday many cars were driving up onto the grass embankments to avoid the numerous potholes.
While in a small suburb near Berlin, Tammy-Lee Hamber, of Fairfields, said that she and some neighbours had tried, to no avail, to get the road which leads to their suburb fixed.
“When I phoned I just got excuses like: there is no battery for the grader, the grader was sabotaged or it has punctures. Now when I phone the lady has my number so she just ignores me.
“It can’t stay like that. It damages people’s vehicles. It could cause you to roll your car. If someone is sick how is an ambulance meant to go on that road? It needs to be tarred,” said Hamber.
Driving through Gonubie the Daily Dispatch noticed that rubble, broken brick and tiles, had been used to fill potholes in some avenues.
Valerie Knoetze, chairperson of the Gonubie Rate Payers Association, said that there were many very bad roads in the suburb adding “some roads are so bad they’re not even worth driving down”.
Knoetze said that some residents were taking it upon themselves to try and repair potholes around Gonubie by filling them with sabunga. She said in the last Integrated Development Plan (IDP) for the city “R14.5-million was allocated to fix Gonubie roads. Where is that money spent? Who decided what roads need to be fixed? Because they don’t consult the local ratepayers. Let ratepayers have a say.
“Many years ago someone who owned a jet patcher, which is much faster than doing it by hand, offered to come fix the Gonubie potholes but BCM turned him down,” said Knoetze.
She said the potholes were especially dangerous at night when they could not be seen, adding that she knew a few people who had written off a tyre or two and expressed concern that the poor roads may hamper emergency services.
Questions sent to BCM for comment had not been responded to by the time of going to print.
lDo you have a pothole problem in the Buffalo City Metro area? If so, please send the details, location and a pic to us at city@dispatch.co.za
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Trending Now
Latest Videos