Vaal Avenue has been the white elephant of lower Lindhaven for at least three years.

The street is littered with potholes, which have deteriorated to the point where they resemble gravel pits, forcing motorists to drive onto the pavement.

Janetta Swanepoel, a resident in Vaal Avenue for 35 years, says that for the past three years the road continued to deteriorate without any attention from the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA).

“We have sent emails and logged multiple calls with the entity, but no one is taking notice,” she says.

She says another problematic street is Poplar, which is just around the corner from Vaal Avenue.

Ward 71 Clr Rene Benjamin said other potholes in the area have been repaired, including those on Harts Road, which is located on the same street as Vaal Avenue, with the name change occurring along the route.

“There has been one attempt to fix this road, and we have tried everywhere.

“When they fixed the patches on Harts, I asked how this one was missed, but there was no explanation,” she said, adding that she has logged over 400+ potholes in Ward 71 alone.

She says Vaal Avenue is a priority because it is the worst of them all, but other streets that need attention include Quellerie, Nassau, Manuel and Patriot streets.

The Roodepoort Record sent questions to JRA with a clear deadline, but no answers were forthcoming by the time of publication.

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