Residents appalled by potholes in Potch

Although they’re everywhere you go, dealing with them doesn’t seem to get any less frustrating.

Potholes are an ongoing problem across the country and in a small town, it’s no different.
They tend to be much more than just annoying, not to men- tion the expensive repairs that take hard-earned money out of your pocket.

A few residents voiced their opinions on the inconvenience caused by the potholes close to home. “As a regular driver, it’s very disheartening to see the state that the roads are currently in,” Paballo Mmasa said.

Paballo adds that the situation is much worse when it rains because you’re unable to spot and avoid them. “The rain, coupled with the bad drainage, makes the situation much worse,” he said. “Just last week, I got a puncture and weeks before, a few of my friends mentioned that they had also punctured their tyres,” he added.

Tlotlo Sephiphi, another resident, says he would rather not drive at the rate that these potholes are getting bigger. “If it were possible, I would avoid the cost of damaged tyres.
“The municipality needs to stop ignoring the matter and fix it. Is there a separate road for municipal officials, because they don’t seem to be bothered by the situation,” he said.

“Just last month, one of the (municipal) employees was applauding children in the community who were attempting to close the potholes. How can they applaud children for doing their job; it’s honestly a disgrace,” he added.

Another resident, Walter Reed, said the state of the roads is appalling.” I hope there are plans in place to have this matter resolved; we cannot continue living like this,” he said.

Residents say it is completely unfair because they pay rates and taxes, yet they have to pay even more to get their tyres repaired. “As long as they use cheap ma- terials, potholes will forever be a problem,” they added.
The Herald asked the municipality for comment but had received none by the time of going to print