North residents resort to ‘breaking law’ by filling potholes themselves
The Tshwane metro warned that, according to its by-laws, if anyone wants to work on a public road reserve they needed to acquire wayleave from the metro first.
Despite it being illegal for residents to fix potholes themselves according to the Tshwane metro, fed up residents in the north of Pretoria are doing just that.
The large backlog for unrepaired potholes has sparked a hands-on approach from residents as they resort to filling these holes themselves.
Residents in Montana and The Orchards got their hands dirty this weekend as they closed a few potholes to give motorists in the area a better driving experience.
The initiative that was initially taken due to frustration with the state of the road has now resulted in more people willing to jump in and fill more of these holes in the area.
Tshwane metro spokesperson Selby Bokaba said that the accelerated formation of the potholes is due to the combination of the inclement weather, increased traffic volumes (especially heavy vehicles) and ageing roads.
He said the metro was receiving higher number of pothole complaints than the available in-house capacity to adequately respond as per norms and standards, thus resulting in backlogs.
Montana resident Cindy Ridley said she and her niece were filling the holes thanks to material donated by a local nursery while the balance was bought from their own pockets.
“As soon as I started working, a vehicle stopped and a man came out to help me. Five minutes later another vehicle stopped and two more men sprang into action and assisted.
“We managed to fill five big potholes and a few small ones as well.”
Ridley said she was triggered into action by the size of the potholes.
“Those potholes were huge and I was alarmed at the thought of motorcyclists driving into one and injuring themselves.”
Ridley said a motorist who showed her gratitude for filling the holes said they had hit one and were still struggling to repair their car.
The massive positive feedback inspired Ridley to open Facebook “Put your penny in a pothole” and announce another date for filling potholes, February 25.
Heavy traffic, slow punctures and possible mass accidents are a few of the reasons that brought the community of The Orchards together with the goal of filling the potholes in Longmore Road.
The Orchards resident Malesela Lekota said the community reported the potholes to Tshwane metro last year but it had not been attended to yet.
“The potholes are not only affecting motorists but pedestrians as well. We have many joggers in our area and I have observed many near-miss incidents where joggers are missed by vehicles as motorists are constantly trying to evade or manoeuvre around the wide and deep potholes.”
A local community donated cement, crushed stone and money to the cause when it was informed of the campaign to fill the holes.
With the potholes filled in the main street, Lekota said the campaign would be ongoing and will involve residents in other streets.
“Akasia is infested with potholes and going forward we will need to join together.
“We used cement which is a temporary solution but if we can get donations of asphalt, stampers and manpower we can do more.”
Bokaba said that it is illegal for residents to repair potholes by themselves.
“The metro has a by-law on working in a public road reserve, and it states that before one can do work in a public road reserve, one has to first acquire a wayleave from Tshwane.”
To report potholes, residents are encouraged to send an email to potholes@tshwane.gov.za
Do you have more information about the story?
Please send us an email to editorial@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.
For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites: Rekord East
For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram
