Deteriorating roads in VKLM raise concern
“This not only endangers the lives of drivers, but also that of pedestrians,” said Ms Diane Bath, councillor for the Democratic Alliance (DA) at VKLM said.
It is no secret that the roads in the municipal area of the Victor Khanye Local Municipality (VKLM) are riddled with potholes.
Residents are regularly seen driving on the sidewalks because the condition of the roads has rendered them unsafe to use.
“This not only endangers the lives of drivers, but also that of pedestrians,” said Ms Diane Bath, councillor for the Democratic Alliance (DA) at VKLM said. Effective and reliable service delivery is one of the biggest challenges South Africa faces.
This is largely due to the municipalities across the country not having the required resources to fulfil the delivery of basic services to their individual communities.
Service delivery refers to safe water supply, electricity, health services, streetlights, refuse collection, sewage disposal and maintenance, the uphold of municipal parks and also the maintenance and of municipal roads.
According to Ms Bath the DA requested Mr Oupa Masiella, Member of Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Planning, Infrastructure, Transport and Safety at VKLM, numerously to urgently address the decaying roads, but because of the lack of recourses as well as financial constraints at the municipality, nothing has been done about the state of the roads.
“As a result of incompetency from the municipality, residents are putting their lives at risk on a daily basis,” Ms Bath said.
“Both provincial and municipal government are failing in their mandate to provide safe road network for citizens, thus endangering the lives of thousands of road users,” Ms Bath further said.
“We appreciate that a contractor has been appointed by provincial government to repair the infamous R50, but yet the project is dragging on and causing frustrations to motorists.” Ms Bath told Streeknuus that VKLM must come up with and implement a strategy that will ensure that the municipal roads are quickly and professionally repaired before lives are lost as a result of bad roads.
“Speed humps are in a terrible state and must also be repaired and painted.”
Missing yield signs at the Eloff circle are also of great concern to the community, as well as non-existing and stolen stop signs at all the schools.
Ms Bath ensured the residents of VKLM that the DA would continue to fight the long and hard battle for the sake of the lives of the various communities within VKLM.
Streeknuus sent questions to the municipality about the deteriorating roads, but no response was received at time of going to press.
