Persistent water seepage and rapidly expanding potholes on Golf Club Terrace are raising safety concerns among residents, who say the road continues to deteriorate despite previous repair work.
According to resident Johan Struwig, who lives opposite the affected section of road, the problem began with a single pothole that gradually worsened over time.
“The pothole started as a small pothole on the right side of the road, and it got bigger and bigger, and water started coming through it,” he said.
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Believing the water could indicate an underground leak, he reported the matter to both Johannesburg Water (JW) and the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA), but said neither initially accepted responsibility.
“I reported the issue to JW, and they said it’s not their issue, it’s JRA’s. When I reported it to JRA, they also said it’s JW’s,” Struwig explained.
Although the original pothole was later repaired, two smaller potholes nearby began to expand and fill with water.
“Eventually, JRA came and just put tar over the pothole, and then the two small ones on the left side started getting bigger as well, and they are also filling with water,” he said.
Struwig said the deteriorating road has created ongoing problems for those living nearby. He also shared that he regularly clears stones thrown up by passing vehicles and has assisted motorists whose tyres were damaged after hitting the potholes.
“I clean the rocks that fly off when the cars hit the potholes, and I’ve made a heap of them on the side,” said Struwig. “Sometimes the flying stones go through my gate.”
“Soon, I won’t be able to drive out of my driveway because the holes are getting bigger each time,” he added.
“I have also had to help some people who had problems with flat tyres after hitting the potholes.”
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Ward 89 councillor Zander Shawe believes the recurring damage points to a problem beneath the road surface. He added that the condition of the road has already contributed to a traffic incident.
“There was an accident recently reported here due to these pothole issues,” Shawe said.
When the Roodepoort Northsider visited the site on Friday, May 29, water was visible in the potholes. A follow-up visit on Tuesday, June 2, showed the holes had grown noticeably larger, while water could still be seen emerging through the road surface.
During the first visit, a JW truck drove through the affected section of road, splashing the Northsider journalist, ward councillor and resident as they stood near the potholes.
The concerns are not limited to Golf Club Terrace. Edmund Road and Pauline Street remain in poor condition despite repeated reports, while Panorama Drive is riddled with potholes along much of its length.
Also read: Motorists forced to navigate through dangerous potholes
Questions were sent to the JRA and JW regarding the growing potholes, the source of the water seepage and planned repairs. No response had been received at the time of publication.
With the damage worsening and no clear solution in sight, residents fear the road will continue to deteriorate unless the source of the water seepage is identified and repaired.
