An eight-year pothole headache

According to Candice James, chairperson of Barbeque Downs Community, Malindi Road has been a problem for eight years.

Over the years, the road has been plagued with potholes and uneven surfaces. This was mostly caused by torrential downpours and heavy motor vehicles using the road, said James.

Malindi Road has not been the only road that has caused problems for residents – Nanyuki and Main roads have been just as problematic.

Malindi Road is a provincial road and is also known as the K73. Plans to extend this road have been put in place and the K73 will stretch past Leeukop Prison, through Kyalami connecting the area to Fourways.

Malindi Road is a busy thoroughfare that connects the R55 to the Rivonia intersection. Many residents of Sunninghill and Barbeque Downs avoid using this road due to the increasing amount of cars and heavy vehicles that use the route.

James said, “Malindi Road is a farm road, it is as old as the area itself.” According to the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA), the road had been fixed and resurfaced in April this year.

However, since then parts of the road had disintegrated and large potholes have reappeared. Motorists have been forced to drive into oncoming traffic to avoid their cars being damaged from the pratically meteor-sized potholes.

DA ward councillor for the Sunninghill area, Annette Deppe said, “They [community members] are trying their best to lodge complaints with the JRA regarding these roads and understand the residents’ frustrations, however the response is slow.”