Pothole war declared in VKLM
“For years, the municipality has been failing to maintain and upgrade our roads, as a result, motorists drive sometimes have to drive on sidewalks.”
The Victor Khanye Local Municipality (VKLM) had the issue of the ever-worsening conditions of the roads in and around Delmas brought to their urgent attention.
The DA in the VKLM said in a statement released on April 12 that the DA would table a motion that calls on the municipality to attend to potholes and road maintenance in the area as a matter of urgency.
In Delmas, it is common to see voluntary organisations like Delmas Revive, civil rights organisation AfriForum, and even concerned community members repairing potholes at their own cost and in their own time.
Diane Bath, DA councillor, stated that motorists in Delmas and surrounds often have to make sharp twists and turns known to damage tyres, rims, wheel alignment, suspension systems and undercarriages.
“This is because of roads that have become dangerous for motorists to use.”
“The municipality has failed to maintain and upgrade our roads for years. As a result, motorists sometimes have to drive on sidewalks,” said Bath.
“Through our oversight visits in areas such as Botleng, Eloff, Sundra and Rietkol, we learnt that several roads need to be filled with tar or graded.”
On many occasions, the DA raised the issue with the MMC of Planning, Infrastructure, Transport and Safety, Tebogo Malomane.
Bath also said that despite raising their concerns, nothing tangible was done to solve the issue of the bad roads.
“Malomane, like his cadres, was given this portfolio but has not fulfilled his obligations to the public,” Bath added.
Bath said it is a well-known fact that the lives of motorists and pedestrians are in danger because of the state of the roads.
“I lay this on the doorstep of an incompetent department under the leadership of Malemone.”
Bath said heavy vehicles also frequented the streets of VKLM, which has brought massive growth to the local economy, but also the added responsibility of proper road maintenance.
The DA’s motion will have three recommendations, including a solid monthly road maintenance plan that states the dates for the upgrade or maintenance as per wards.
Transport committee members are to monitor the work in progress regularly, ensure the contractors adhere to the time frames given to them, and a breakdown of the budget and allocation for road maintenance is to be submitted monthly to the Technical Portfolio, section 80.
At the time of going to print, Streeknuus’ attempts to make contact with the office of the municipal manager, Thabo Mashabela, as well as the office of the MMC of Planning, Infrastructure, Transport and Safety, Tebogo Malomane, in VKLM was not successful.
We could not obtain comment on the state of the roads.
