The Bushbuckridge Local Municipality (BLM) has started with the grading and gravelling of streets and filling dongas in areas, including Mashonamini, Mkhuhlu Trust and Newington, following severe damage caused by floods earlier this year.

According to the BLM spokesperson, Fhumulani Thovhakale, municipal road maintenance teams are currently on the ground working to restore access to roads that became inaccessible after persistent rains damaged infrastructure across several communities.

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Thovhakale said the repairs form part of the municipality’s response to public concerns regarding roads that had become unusable to residents.

“We are aware that some of the roads have been damaged for a long time without being attended to, but we are going to respond as ward councillors continue reporting them to us. We did not neglect these roads. The recent persistent rains in the area were one of the factors that caused delays,” she said.

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Despite the ongoing repairs, some community members have expressed frustration over the setbacks, saying the damaged roads have severely affected their daily lives.

Some residents said they were forced to leave their vehicles at home because roads leading to their properties were no longer accessible.

One of the affected residents, pensioner Gilbert Silowe, said he had to hire transport to visit a doctor and collect chronic medication because the road outside his home had been severely damaged.

“I tried to fix the road myself by filling it with sand, but the rains washed it away again. I reported the matter to the ward councillor and the municipality, but for three months nothing happened. We hope that now that the repairs have started, our roads will also be fixed,” he said.

Another resident, Tintswalo, criticised the slow pace of service delivery, saying communities often feel ignored until tragedy occurs.

“We have a councillor, but he drives on these roads every day and still nothing changes. Since the rains, our roads have gone from bad to worse.

We do not only need maintenance, we need tar roads. Our village existed long before democracy, yet after 30 years we still do not have proper roads,” she said.

Residents have called on the municipality to accelerate the repairs and prioritise long-term infrastructure upgrades in affected communities.