Some Tekwane residents are urging the City of Mbombela (CoM) to prioritise the repair and upgrading of their streets.

They are concerned that the poor road conditions in Tekwane South will lead to disaster as the rainy season is under way.

They also claim Tekwane West and East’s streets were paved for no good reason, seeing as no one lives there.

They said they could not understand why an uninhabited area is receiving so much attention when no one is there to benefit from it, while the main road in Tekwane South is a complete mess, especially at Tekwane Primary School. The road to the school entrance often floods when it rains, making it difficult for the learners to access the premises.

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According to the residents, Tekwane South was established more than 24 years ago, but to date, none of its streets have been paved. However, the newer areas such as Tekwane West and East have been paved and tarred.

The residents, in collaboration with the DA, held a peaceful march on November 9, demanding that the CoM intervenes to repair their streets, ensuring they are usable. “We are the first settlement in the area and the population is growing, but the roads are not maintained.

We have used a civilised manner to demonstrate our frustration and we don’t want to engage in violent protests to get the municipality’s attention. We therefore request that they do something while they still can,” they said.

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The DA’s councillor in the area, Basil Anthony, said the people of Tekwane South deserve better roads, and the CoM should have started with the ones in the residential areas.

He also said he would submit a written request to the CoM’s mayor, Sibongile Makushe-Mazibuko, at the next council meeting regarding these roads, and that he would demand definite answers on when they plan to fix these roads and why they are prioritising uninhabited areas.