No end in sight for pothole problem: Gonubie residents feel ignored by Operation Valazonke

KAZIMLA MFIKILI

The increasing deterioration of Gonubie’s roads brings into question the success of the Buffalo City’s Municipality’s (BCM) Operation Valazonke programme, which in May had committed to filling 30,000 potholes across the metro by the end of the financial year to the tune of R89.8m.

Run in collaboration with Sanral and the department of transport, Operation Valazonke started locally in August 2023 and saw the municipality commit to resealing potholes in the worst affected areas by the end of July.

However, residents in Gonubie dispute the success of the programme, as they believe there has been no visible change in their area.

Gonubie roads such as 10th Avenue, 12th Avenue, Evans Street and West Street, have been deteriorating further in the intervening months.

Gonubie Ratepayers’ Association (GRPA) chair Henry Smit said that ratepayers were furious and outraged at the state of the roads in Gonubie.

He said: “They’ll have to redo, instead of repair the roads as some potholes are half a metre deep on the edges and interior of some roads.

“The poor state of the roads in Gonubie has started to negatively impact the property market of the location and property owners who are looking to sell their houses can’t because prospective buyers are shocked by the size of potholes on the roads.”

One resident said: “It is so costly and frustrating because you end up not wanting to pay your rates.

“Unfortunately, you can’t get away from rates but it feels like I’m being robbed every time I must change my tyres because of a pothole.”

Some residents have made efforts to claim for damaged tyres from the Buffalo City Municipality, but according to them, the response has been too slow.

Gonubie ward councillor Valerie Knoetze stressed that Gonubie residents pay among the highest rates yet receive what, in her opinion, is the worst service delivery in the city.

She confirmed that in following up on when the potholes would be addressed in urgent areas in Gonubie, she was told that the seaside community was last on the priority list.

She said: “Residents take the issues to council all the time and ask the officials for help but the bottom line is that we, as the metro, do not have the funds for maintenance and BCMM is not taking us, in Gonubie, seriously.

“Some citizens have taken matters into their own hands and sought out temporary solutions by filling treacherous potholes with gravel and more potholes in the community will be filled in this way throughout August.

“Our pothole team supplied the labour, and the residents supplied the cold asphalt. It is not ideal as we pay for a service and then need to do our own thing to feel like we received service delivery.”

Enquiries for an update from the municipality regarding the progress of Operation Valazonke in Gonubie have been made but are yet to be answer by the spokesperson, Samkelo Ngwenya.

Earlier this year, GO!&Express uncovered the distress amongst Gonubie learner drivers who were appealing for community assistance in filling potholes on their test route, which forces them to swerve into oncoming traffic and fail their driving tests due to National Road Traffic Act violations.

Driving schools in the area also face significant financial burdens from vehicle damage and lost business, leaving learners and instructors in a challenging situation.

RIDDLED ROADS: The streets of Gonubie remained pockmarked with potholes despite municipal initiatives to fix the roads. Pictures: KAZIMLA MFIKILI

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