Residents who rely on the D799 Baldaskraal road are up-in-arms over the state of this road. During the rainy season, vehicles (including public transport) cannot access the road, which in turn leaves commuters stranded.

According to residents, it has been years since this gravel road was properly maintained and it doesn’t have enough quarry, which is the reason it becomes muddy when it’s raining.

Community member Percival Jele said they recently approached the driver of a grader sent by the Department of Transport and brought to his attention that the road needs gravel (stones from a quarry) and that what he was doing was going to cause mud when the rain comes again. “What we have noticed over the years is that a grader comes to do maintenance, but as the years go by, there is not enough gravel and even the work the grader is doing becomes useless,” said Jele.

He added that when it rains, the BTI buses cannot access the road and many people have to travel kilometres on foot because of the condition of the road.

Another problem with this road is that it has three low-lying bridges, which are in a state of disrepair.

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BTI stakeholder relations officer Mr Gabriel Magubane said the state of the road is beyond their control, as their job is transporting community members. “It is even worse when it rains, as we are forced to leave our commuters far from their destination and it doesn’t feel good to see them walking, but it is beyond our control,” said Magubane. He said this road is affecting their business badly. “It causes great inconvenience! Last week, our passengers had to leave their groceries in the bus because they couldn’t carry 50kg bags of maize and we had to understand and bear with them,” said Magubane.

A meeting, that will include community members from different wards, is set to happen today (February 16) to address the issue.

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