Drivers' nightmare - Risking one's life in Soweto
TSAMAISO Street in Naledi Extension is by far Soweto's worst-kept road.
The police, ambulances and buses no longer use the road, fearing extreme damage to their vehicles.
The road has more potholes than one can count. Some of the worst potholes ranged between 20cm and 33cm deep and parts of the road have been reduced to gravel.
"Police vehicles and ambulances cannot access this road," resident Daisy Masuku said. "It is worse than gravel and mud because these potholes will give them punctures and damage their vehicles.
"All the police vehicles we used to see pass here do not dare come this way anymore because they know how bad the road is. That makes this neighbourhood very unsafe."
Masuku said it was disappointing that the city praised itself for its achievements while her neighbourhood was neglected.
When the Sowetan team arrived in Naledi last week a group of young men passing the time under a tree warned us not to drive on the road.
"Where are you going? Do not go there. Your car will be damaged in no time," they shouted.
Residents living in the area shook their heads in disbelief when Sowetan asked if they were living in "a world-class African city".
"We are Joburg residents but we do not see this 'worldclass African city' they talk about," another resident, George Modisane, said.
"We can't even have funerals or other ceremonies here because vehicles cannot get to your houses. When you host a function or have a funeral you have to book a hall. Not all of us can afford that. We do not have a road here," Modisane said.
Emmanuel Mphahle said: "We have sent petitions to the municipal offices. Early last year some officials came and took measurements. When they came back, they wanted to patch up the potholes. They patched them up before and and they started falling apart again.
"When they came again, sometime last year, the community stopped them because this road has to be re-tarred properly," Mphahle said.
"We don't even have stormwater drains," the irate resident said.
The residents said despite their best attempts to get the city to take real action, there seemed to be no real will from officials to deal with the problem. They said their councillor, Basimane Ramadiro, was indifferent to their plight.
"He keeps telling us that our area was not his responsibility," Mphahle said.
"I have voted four times but I do not see what I am voting for. Voting is useless," he said.
Ramadiro said: "No, I do not have any sort of attitude towards the community. In fact, I'm having a meeting with JRA tomorrow (Friday) because the means are there and this road will be fix soon.
"I do not condone the state of that road and cannot defend it. I'm happy that the community wrote petitions because that put pressure on the city to act."
Driving through Soweto last week Sowetan spotted more roads with hazardous potholes. The bad roads include Sofasonke, Madlala, Tsolo and Mooki streets in Orlando East, Merafe Road in Jabulani, Bendile Road in Zola, Mncube Drive in Dube, just to mention a few.
On some of the roads, the patchwork is wearing out.
A group of municipal workers were spotted patching potholes on Shenge Drive in Jabulani.
"As part of routine road maintenance the JRA will tomorrow close potholes and do patching on Bendile, Merafe and Shenge roads among others in Soweto.
"On Tsamaiso Street an assessment is currently being made to determine whether the road needs to be rehabilitated or reconstructed," Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) said in response to Sowetan's enquiry.
It said the "Khendla Ma-Pothole" Project, which was launched last month, had identified 200 main roads in the city that needed attention.
JRA said it would need R1,6 billion to resurface roads in Johannesburg.
JRA workers were out in full force on Friday, patching some of the roads listed by Sowetan.
An employee said the big challenge everyone faced was the lack of stormwater drains in the township.
"You see, like in this area here (Bendile Road), there are no stormwater drains, so the water will not flow away. That damages the tar.
"The material used to patch roads is strong and can hold for years," the man said.
Soweto's worst street
Drivers' nightmare - Risking one's life in Soweto
TSAMAISO Street in Naledi Extension is by far Soweto's worst-kept road.
The police, ambulances and buses no longer use the road, fearing extreme damage to their vehicles.
The road has more potholes than one can count. Some of the worst potholes ranged between 20cm and 33cm deep and parts of the road have been reduced to gravel.
"Police vehicles and ambulances cannot access this road," resident Daisy Masuku said. "It is worse than gravel and mud because these potholes will give them punctures and damage their vehicles.
"All the police vehicles we used to see pass here do not dare come this way anymore because they know how bad the road is. That makes this neighbourhood very unsafe."
Masuku said it was disappointing that the city praised itself for its achievements while her neighbourhood was neglected.
When the Sowetan team arrived in Naledi last week a group of young men passing the time under a tree warned us not to drive on the road.
"Where are you going? Do not go there. Your car will be damaged in no time," they shouted.
Residents living in the area shook their heads in disbelief when Sowetan asked if they were living in "a world-class African city".
"We are Joburg residents but we do not see this 'worldclass African city' they talk about," another resident, George Modisane, said.
"We can't even have funerals or other ceremonies here because vehicles cannot get to your houses. When you host a function or have a funeral you have to book a hall. Not all of us can afford that. We do not have a road here," Modisane said.
Emmanuel Mphahle said: "We have sent petitions to the municipal offices. Early last year some officials came and took measurements. When they came back, they wanted to patch up the potholes. They patched them up before and and they started falling apart again.
"When they came again, sometime last year, the community stopped them because this road has to be re-tarred properly," Mphahle said.
"We don't even have stormwater drains," the irate resident said.
The residents said despite their best attempts to get the city to take real action, there seemed to be no real will from officials to deal with the problem. They said their councillor, Basimane Ramadiro, was indifferent to their plight.
"He keeps telling us that our area was not his responsibility," Mphahle said.
"I have voted four times but I do not see what I am voting for. Voting is useless," he said.
Ramadiro said: "No, I do not have any sort of attitude towards the community. In fact, I'm having a meeting with JRA tomorrow (Friday) because the means are there and this road will be fix soon.
"I do not condone the state of that road and cannot defend it. I'm happy that the community wrote petitions because that put pressure on the city to act."
Driving through Soweto last week Sowetan spotted more roads with hazardous potholes. The bad roads include Sofasonke, Madlala, Tsolo and Mooki streets in Orlando East, Merafe Road in Jabulani, Bendile Road in Zola, Mncube Drive in Dube, just to mention a few.
On some of the roads, the patchwork is wearing out.
A group of municipal workers were spotted patching potholes on Shenge Drive in Jabulani.
"As part of routine road maintenance the JRA will tomorrow close potholes and do patching on Bendile, Merafe and Shenge roads among others in Soweto.
"On Tsamaiso Street an assessment is currently being made to determine whether the road needs to be rehabilitated or reconstructed," Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) said in response to Sowetan's enquiry.
It said the "Khendla Ma-Pothole" Project, which was launched last month, had identified 200 main roads in the city that needed attention.
JRA said it would need R1,6 billion to resurface roads in Johannesburg.
JRA workers were out in full force on Friday, patching some of the roads listed by Sowetan.
An employee said the big challenge everyone faced was the lack of stormwater drains in the township.
"You see, like in this area here (Bendile Road), there are no stormwater drains, so the water will not flow away. That damages the tar.
"The material used to patch roads is strong and can hold for years," the man said.
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