Edenvale motorists dodge potholes

Edenvale ward councillors Heather Hart and Bill Rundle are concerned about the number of potholes in the streets of Edenvale.

“If roads are maintained, they will last for up to 10 years. However, there have not been road maintenance contractors since 2013,” said Clr Hart.

She said if the cracks on the roads are sealed, it would prevent the chances of a huge pothole developing in the middle of tar road.

“For two years there has been no maintenance done. The roads are horrific, they need to be resurfaced and resealed to prevent more potholes,” she said.

She said there are very few roads left in Edenvale that do not have potholes.

“Cars are doing the ‘dodge dance’ for potholes,” she said.

Clr Rundle said Edenvale and the surrounding area has not had appointed contractors for over two years.

“This was acknowledged by the metro. They claim to have now appointed contractors yet Edenvale has not seen any benefit of this.

“The councillors have items reported from almost a year ago which still have not been addressed,” said Clr Rundle.

“Potholes in the area are a huge risk for motorists. Residents have been complaining about worn out and torn tyres because their insurances will not pay out,” he said.

Clr Hart added that the local roads depot has not had tar since 2014.

“The depot has been borrowing from Kempton Park and Tembisa. Residents and road maintenance have, as a result, turned to filling the potholes with concrete or sand,” she said.

Clr Hart said she aims to initiate a petition to have the gutters swept in order to keep the roads clean.

“Since the roads department has not been spending money on tar, perhaps they could consider spending it on labour for our gutters to be swept,” said Clr Hart.

The NEWS sent an inquiry on July 15 to the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality’s spokesperson, Mr Themba Gadebe, and requested comment by July 16.

At the time of going to print, no comment had been received.