Edenvale’s roads remain lined with potholes and in a state of disrepair.

At the start of February the NEWS met with Clr of Ward 18, Ald Heather Hart, and highlighted the poor conditions of the roads. Since then, and with the recent rains, very little has changed and in some instances the situation has worsened.

During a drive through town, The NEWS identified several roads including Amanda Road, Fourth Street, Third Street, Horwood Street, Twelfth Avenue and Third Avenue, which were scarred with potholes.

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Although this is just a handful of the roads in Edenvale plagued by potholes, many of the residential streets in town are pockmarked, forcing motorists to weave and swerve to avoid damaging their vehicles.

Hart previously stated that the Edenvale Roads Depot received a budget of R4m for all eight wards that it caters for.

The area the depot serves includes Boksburg North, Jet Park, Elandsfontein, Klopperpark, Meadowdale, Edenvale and Bedfordview.

Hart said the budget is meant to be used for pothole repairs, new signage, painting of road markings and the upkeep of stormwater infrastructure. “R4m wouldn’t touch sides just in Edenvale,” said Hart. She highlighted that it is not the depot’s fault.

“We cannot shout at them. If they have limited resources, they have to focus on the priority roads,” emphasised Hart.

Hart said one of the issues is that the City of Ekurhuleni is not collecting enough revenue, which affects its ability to pay service providers and contractors.

While standing on Amanda Road with Ald Hart, the NEWS witnessed motorists forced to drive on the wrong side of the road to avoid potholes.

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“The latest I have been told is that the city is not paying contractors, which is affecting the repairs of potholes,” said Hart. Despite this, she said 150 tons of tar was recently provided to the city’s 11 road depots.

“Although this sounds like a lot, each depot will receive a little more than 13 tons of tar. For depots such as the Edenvale Depot, which covers eight wards, this amount will not go very far,” said Hart.

Hart said although the situation is dire, she reminded the community of several years ago when there was a shortage of tar, which affected the repair of potholes. “I know we are all anxious and frustrated. The staff on the ground are too.”

A request for comment was sent to the City of Ekurhuleni on March 6 requesting a reply by March 9. At the time of going to print, no comment had been received.