The huge potholes at two separate traffic circles on the R538 in Masoyi are scheduled to be repaired before the end of May.

According to the Department of Public Works, Roads and Transport’s spokesperson, Bongani Dhlamini, they are waiting for funds to become available in order to attend to them.

This comes after a communal outcry about the public’s personal safety. “The department has appointed a contractor to fix the potholes and do maintenance on the entire road. The delay is due to budget constraints of the past financial year,” he said.

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Residents, however, have said they do not believe it. They were promised it would be repaired in December last year, but nothing happened. Others say protesters damage the roads when burning tyres during service delivery protests.

“The road is not even 10 years old and most of the potholes, including the ones on the traffic circles, were caused by burning tyres. People must learn that damaging the infrastructure won’t solve their problems, but will affect them at a later stage. We are now stuck with huge potholes at traffic circles where criminals wait for motorists to slow down to rob them,” said Sylvester Nyundu, a concerned motorist.

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Another resident, Jabu Ndlovu, pleaded with the community to refrain from damaging the roads during protests.

He also begged provincial government to prioritise residents’ concerns. “Our government waits for the media to raise issues before they attend to them. This matter was reported to them long ago, with no action. Residents should stop burning tyres on the roads when they want municipal services. Now we are left with potholes we cannot fix,” he said.