Potholes on various streets and main roads have plagued the Mulbarton community in Johannesburg south for five years.
Roads like Allen Road, Hantamberg Street, and Amandel Road are among the worst affected, with large holes left open because of water pipeline issues and incomplete repair efforts.
Damage and frustration
Motorists have been damaging their cars, experiencing flat tires, and other issues because of the potholes. A vehicle lost its bumper because of a massive pothole on Allen Road.
The frustrated community calls on the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) and the City of Johannesburg (CoJ) to take action.
Inaam Yousufjee, an Allen Road resident in Mulbarton, spoke to the Comaro Chronicle in February, where he outlined the dangers and inconveniences of the pothole to him and his family. Three months later, the problem remains.
“I have learnt to live with it. My children play in the backyard, and I take them to cycling trails to use their bicycles. I have given up on all entities; they don’t care. I cannot fix the hole myself as it requires equipment I don’t have,” expressed Yousufjee.
Unfulfilled promises
Despite meetings and evaluations, the issue remains unresolved. The JRA’s temporary patch-up solutions have failed, with potholes reopening because of heavy traffic.
The community demands a more permanent solution, such as resurfacing the roads, to rectify the issue.
Ward 23 Clr Tyrell Meyers spoke about the plan with JRA to get this problem sorted out.
“We have been in contact with the JRA, and they repair the potholes, but as we know, these patch jobs last weeks instead of years. We now have to discuss a way to get the potholes closed up properly and then appeal to get them completely resurfaced.
“The JRA is helpful but also experiences a backlog of repairs, which creates a domino effect, where roads are not being maintained correctly and in a timely fashion,” said Meyers.
“Repairs should be done soon; we will continue to follow up regularly until they make progress,” he continued.
