MZINTI – Speaking to Lowvelder Express, Mandla Masango, a community member, said they are currently in talks with other community structures in the region regarding a possible shutdown.

“We are still engaging with other communities within the region so that when we stage a protest we are all in support of it. Our main concern is the poor standard of our roads. I am sure you have seen the number of potholes. It is actually embarrassing that we are subjected to this,” said Masango.

He said the potholes and abysmal state of the roads pose a grave danger to local residents and their vehicles.

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“We are tired of the potholes. We are tired of the shoddily constructed roads. The sad part is that the roads leading to our hospitals are damaged,” he continued. “We are aware that every time there is a tender for the roads to be fixed, contractors opt for cheaper material and do shoddy work on the road. This must come to an end. We want government to award reliable and experienced contractors to fix these routes. “We’ve had members of the community filling up some of the potholes at their own expense as they fear damage to their vehicles and potential accidents involving cars trying to avoid the potholes,” he said.

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The Department of Public Works, Roads and Transport’s spokesperson, Bongani Dhlamini, said, “The department has noted the increased number of road damage caused by the ongoing heavy rainfall. We are currently in the process of getting more funding for the maintenance intervention of these roads.”