Pro-actively improving their community
Three hard-working men have been hired by a resident who was sick of waiting and have been using a little yellow tuk-tuk to navigate the roads of Roodepoort fixing potholes as they go.
A popular meme making the rounds on social media recently has expressed the feelings of many Roodepoort residents. It reads, ‘In the UK, they drive on the left. In South Africa, we drive on what’s left’.
The anger that comes from hearing about potholes and the fear that courses through your veins when you accidentally hit one is enough to drive anyone crazy. With the backlog and asphalt shortage being experienced by the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) it seems many residents and companies have decided to take matters into their own hands, repairing roads they drive on regularly.
Three hard-working men have been hired by one such resident and use the company’s little yellow tuk-tuk to navigate the roads of Roodepoort fixing potholes as they go. The Real Beds Roodepoort employee uses her own money to buy 40 to 50 bags of cement on a regular basis, and notifies the three men of the roads that need attention.
Madalitso Pheruwa, George Phiri and Dash Mere say they have been performing this task on behalf of their employer nearly every month for close to five years. “Jenny really cares about the community, so if she sees a pothole that isn’t being fixed, she sends us there,” said George. Over the week of 8 March, the men worked on a few streets between Horison and Helderkruin, starting on Mouton Road and carefully making their way through various streets on the way up to Crous Drive.
Residents like these men and their employer show that sometimes complaining isn’t an option, and if you want to fix your community, you need to get actively involved. The Record has made attempts to contact the illustrious Jenny in search of her full name and her comment on the matter, but so far we have been unsuccessful. We will continue our efforts in hopes of getting in touch with this good Samaritan.
