Potholes around traffic circles in Masoyi a headache to locals

Motorists say navigating the two traffic circles with huge potholes around them on the R538 in Masoyi is a daunting task, as it poses a danger to their lives and damages their vehicles.

They say they are forced to drive over the circle to avoid the holes, and instead of properly repairing the potholes, the authorities prefer to fill it with soil, which is washed away when it rains.

One of the motorists who uses the road on a daily basis, Alfred Kunene, said the potholes are a sign of the poor work done by the contractor, and now the road users must suffer.

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“The road is less than 10 years old, but now we have these huge potholes at the two circles, which make it difficult for us to drive around them. The worst part is that criminals are now taking advantage of that area as they target motorists at night. I still do not understand why they keep on filling the holes with soil for a year instead of using proper materials to close them up,” he said.

One of the taxi drivers of the area, Sfiso Mguni, blamed the residents there for burning tires on the road during a recent service delivery protest.

“The road was refurbished not so long ago, and the same people who are using it on a daily basis decided to damage it during a protest, and now expect the government to fix it. I drive around those circles every day, and it is very difficult, especially during pick-up hours, as it creates unnecessary traffic, but they are man-made potholes, so I am not expecting the government to fix them, so that community members will refrain from damaging the infrastructure,” he said.

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The Department of Public Works, Roads and Transport’s spokesperson, Cyril Dlamini, said the department has already appointed a panel of external service providers, which are strategically placed in all the districts to rehabilitate the roads as and when required.

“The department has purchased four Jetpatcher trucks for mechanised patching of potholes to meet the current demands. We also have an in-house team, including call centres, working around the clock to attend to potholes,” he said.

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