Good Samaritan takes on potholes to help motorists

Brackendowns’ Zandile Chaka proved to be a good neighbour recently after going out of her way to help other motorists using a busy road.

She took on the pothole-plagued Kremetart Street and helped fill at least seven potholes to minimise the damage to vehicles.

She has lived in the area for 18 years and told the RECORD she loves her neighbourhood and doesn’t see herself moving away.

“I’m a very handy person who does her garden. I even have a vegetable garden where I spend hours on end. Whenever I would enter my place, I would first dodge a couple of potholes, which is an unpleasant experience. I then took a few gravel stones and combined them with cement to fill in these potholes,” said Zandile.

Her husband also assisted.

“I wasn’t just doing this for myself, but for others too because I know potholes damage cars. Filling them in is more affordable than having to fix your car. Whenever I come across potholes, I become distraught because they negatively affect others who are not familiar with that road, at night or after heavy rainfall,” she said.

Over the years, she said she used to have a contact number she would use to report service delivery issues such as potholes and that they would be fixed on time.

But that communication channel has since changed over the years, according to Zandile, which is why she resorted to fixing these potholes herself.

Her neighbour of 18 years commended her for going the extra mile and described Zandile as an amazing neighbour who is aware of the needs of others.