Pelican Street riddled with potholes

Residents of Pelican Street in Albermarle are frustrated by the numerous potholes.

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They also expressed dissatisfaction with service delivery.

Joe Gopie said there have been numerous attempts to get the City of Ekurhuleni to tend to the potholes.

“The road is not safe to travel on. Pelican Street alone has over 60 potholes,” Gopie said.

“In rainy weather, it is worse to navigate the road because it’s difficult to see the potholes.”

He said motorists are forced to drive onto the grass or sidewalk to avoid damaging their vehicles.

“The CoE nor the councillor does not find this issue important it seems,” said Gopie.

He said Pelican Street is one of several in Albermarle that needs urgent maintenance.

“Residents have even taken it upon themselves to fix the potholes. The pothole on Hatfield Road was funded and repaired by the residents. The road is not 100% but at least it’s safe to travel.

“We have tried to fill some of the potholes with sand just to make the road bearable but that does not help,” said Gopie.

“It is not fair. Residents have to dig into their pockets to fix something that the city should be attending to. How long should we wait until this matter is attended to?”

He accused Clr Ivan Naidoo of not assisting residents.

“Numerous emails have been sent and he is aware of the situation but has not been helpful. He has not even shown his face in the area or given feedback to his ward.”

Naidoo commented he is aware of the complaint and said he has been in communication with the relevant departments to assist.

“This matter was escalated to the relevant department. The supervisor has assured me it will be done,” said Naidoo.

He added the metro sits with challenges in terms of available material and vehicles that are in the workshop.

“The city is working on other measures to ensure potholes are attended to, as we know and understand the plight of residents,” said Naidoo.

Mayor Tania Campbell in her recent State of City Address said CoE plans to invest in safe, reliable affordable public transport, well-maintained roads, and infrastructure renewal with measures to safeguard infrastructure from vandalism and theft.

A request for comment was sent to the CoE on April 20. At the time of going to print, no comment had been received.