Jubilation turns into frustration for road user

Date: 14 November 2014 By: Andries van Zyl

Residents' initial jubilation that the Makhado Municipality is tackling the issue of potholes in the streets of Louis Trichardt is now turning to frustration for many.

All across town the municipality's initial urgency in starting to repair the pothole-infested streets a couple of weeks ago is seemingly starting to fade.

The reason for the frustration is that the municipality starts fixing potholes by cutting them open and filling them with a thin layer of tar. These “cut-outs” are then left unattended for weeks on end, before they are finally filled to road surface level.

Examples of this “half-completed” work can be seen all across town, such as in 2nd Street in Eltivillas. Alwyn Street (between Leeu and Eland Street) is also a good example. In Alwyn Street, the potholes were merely cut open and not even given a tar covering. This was done weeks ago and, with the recent thundershowers, the “cut-outs” washed out, resulting in the road's being even worse than before repair started. Road users now argue that these “half-completed” pothole repairs are actually causing more damage to vehicles than the initial potholes.

The snail's pace at which the potholes are repaired, after the initial urgency, gave rise to questions as to why the work had slowed down. Another project raising questions is the construction of the paved section of Kruger Street between Rissik and Erasmus Street. This project also seems to have come to a halt, with construction workers seen working for one or two days and then nothing happens for days on end. Is the municipality experiencing money problems to fund the repairs or is it once again a question of unqualified or unskilled contractors being appointed to do the repairs?

The Zoutpansberger asked the Makhado Municipality exactly these questions, with municipal spokesperson Mr Louis Bobodi responding on Tuesday.

In his response, Bobodi gave no reason as to what is causing the delays. He merely stated that they [the municipality] was busy surfacing all prepared potholes and that they were no longer preparing new ones. “All the prepared potholes will be surfaced before the end of November,” Bobodi said.

As for the questions relating to the contractors being appointed and shortage of funds, Bobodi said: “There is no contractor involved and there is no shortage of money relating to this project.”

With regard to Kruger Street, Bobodi added that construction work will also be completed before the end of November this year. 

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Andries van Zyl

Andries joined the Zoutpansberger and Limpopo Mirror in April 1993 as a darkroom assistant. Within a couple of months he moved over to the production side of the newspaper and eventually doubled as a reporter. In 1995 he left the newspaper group and travelled overseas for a couple of months. In 1996, Andries rejoined the Zoutpansberger as a reporter. In August 2002, he was appointed as News Editor of the Zoutpansberger, a position he holds until today.

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