Mamelodi residents stuck with muddy roads

“Our roads have become an impassible mess for motorists after the rains,” residents of Mamelodi East, Phase 5 complain. According to residents, the situation has become so bad that not even funeral processions can make it through the muddy mess to get to the deceased’s family house. They say that they were used to living with dusty dirt roads, but that things were much worse now.

“A local project to get the roads tarred had started about five months ago,” resident, Rosina Motshega, told Record. “In the beginning, we were all happy that we were finally going to get a proper tar road and storm drain system in the area. We no longer had to inhale dust all the time. “What we didn’t know is that this was the beginning of our current nightmare.”

Locals said they pleaded with the Tshwane metro to complete the project before the festive and rainy season. “The construction workers started very fast with excavations on several streets and everything was running smooth. Then, after about two months, progress became very slow,” said Motshega. “Then it started raining and the streets were flooded. Motorists were unable to drive in or out of their houses.”

The affected street blocks were Serithi, Senyanduma, Mgibaba, Makubane and Senyanturu streets. Richard Hlongwane, another resident, said the construction workers dug “big holes” and that when it started raining, these holes became big pools of water. “We have small children in the area and we are worried about their safety because they started playing in the pools,” said Hlongwane. Some of the motorists now have to look for alternative places to park their vehicles.

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Jack Sebothoma said he was a tenant in the area and his car was trapped inside the yard where he was renting a room. “I rely on my car to go to work. Recently, I am unable to drive the car because it is trapped inside,” he said. Sebothoma said he was spending a lot of money on taxi fares.

“Small children play in the muddy and flooded road. We try to keep them safe and off the streets, but children are children and they will continue playing there,” said Sebothoma. He added that the streets used to be a playground for community children. “We felt safe when our children were playing not far from home, but now with the flooded streets, it is no longer safe.” Motorists also abandoned their cars by the side of the road and simply walked home to avoid getting stuck.

“At night, it’s an issue because our cars are vulnerable to criminals since nobody is guarding them.” Resident Ben Marothi pleaded with the construction workers to finish what they had started before the holidays. “We are left in the dark about the construction project. We don’t even know how much was spent and when it will end.” Tshwane metro spokesperson, Lindela Mashigo said the contractor was on-site and had not abandoned the project. Instead, he said there had been “steady progress”, but it has been hampered by the excessive rainfall this month.

“The site has 13 streets,” said Mashigo. “Of these, 10 streets are at sub-base level and drivable even during rain. We are left with three streets namely Serithi, Mgibaba and Makubane. “These streets are also being addressed, with works starting on Makubane according to our programme. The laying and compaction of our gravel sub-base layer will be completed by the end of the week, making it fully drivable. “The remaining streets will be Serithi and Mgibaba, which will also be addressed before our shutdown period.” Mashigo added the streets have been drivable but were damaged during the recent rains.

“We do try and manage the areas with excessive ponding and mud; but it does take some time to get to all the areas, especially when it rains constantly as the case has been.” According to him, the project started on March 29.

It is planned to be completed in March 2022. The project cost is R25 751 385.

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