- Residents and motorists in Samora Machel are fed up with the deplorable state of roads and living conditions, citing potholes, drain bursts, and raw sewage as major concerns.
- They accuse contractors of shoddy workmanship and blame poor infrastructure maintenance for the mess, while Ward 33 councillor Lungisa Somdaka attributes the problems to illegal dumping and community neglect.
- Somdaka promises that repair work is underway, but urges patience as fixing the underground infrastructure is a time-consuming process, with some residents already reporting damage to their vehicles due to the hazardous conditions.
If it is not a pothole, it is a drain burst, this is how Lusanda from Samora Machel summed up their living conditions.
According to residents and motorists from the neighbourhood, the state of roads and living conditions are deplorable and require immediate intervention.
They are accusing the contractors who are fixing the roads of shoddy workmanship.
Lusanda, a resident of Ruth First Street, described the roads in Samora as a disaster. He said every street has potholes. “Every street has sewage, if it is not a pothole, it is a drain burst. I don’t know what is going on here,” commented Lusanda. She said drains have no covers due to theft. She blamed some of the mess on poor work carried out by contractors.
Motorist Namhla Mputumi, from the 53 section, blamed the potholes for damaging their vehicles. Driving in the night is a major challenge for motorists, added Mputumi. “Some of the street lights are not working, so we don’t see the road clearly. We need the municipality to intervene and fix them,” she appealed.
She described the entire Samora Machel as a mess.
On Sunday 1 September, City Vision visited the area for a first-hand account of the challenges faced by the community.
A drive through OR Tambo Road proved difficult. The road was riddled with potholes and water puddles.
A female driver got stuck in a water-filled pothole. As City Vision offered assistance, the reporter also got stuck in the pothole. Meanwhile, raw sewage flowed through some of the streets.
Ruth First, Michael Mapongwana, Lillian Ngoyi, Victoria Mxenge and Robert Sobukwe were some of the most affected streets.
In an interview with City Vision, Ward 33 councillor Lungisa Somdaka said most roads were damaged by the sewage that ran through the streets. He accused the community of failing to take care of the local infrastructure.
“We have a challenge of a drain burst in all the areas caused by people who are illegally dumping foreign objects in the drains. Most of the underground infrastructure has collapsed, which caused the sewage to overflow,” said Somdaka.
He stated that repairing the underground infrastructure was not an overnight job. He urged the community and motorists to be patient. He said the repair work would take time.
“I have already reported the matter to the Subcouncil 17 and the City is busy fixing some of the sewage system,” explained Somdaka.
