After two years of having to look at the same pothole grow bigger, deeper and more dangerous to motorists and later seeing a deep trench and more potholes pop up in his street, a resident from Algoa Park decided to take matters into his own hands.
Michael Pozyn, who resides in Whyteleaf Drive, used money from his own pocket and assistance from neighbours and the neighbourhood watch, to neatly fill and repair these potholes and the trench in his street.
Pozyn, who works in the motor industry at Plastic Rebuilders, said that the one pothole started out as a small hole as a result of a water leak two years ago that just became bigger over time. Later on, there was another water leak closer to his house that also resulted in a small hole that eventually grew bigger.
“When they came to fix the leak, they dug a trench from left to right across the road and after about a year you can just imagine how it looked with all the cars driving over it since this is one of the busiest roads in Algoa Park,” Pozyn explained.
“Motorists would damage their cars and some would do an emergency stop and drive around the right side where there was no trench.
“I became fed up with living like this and over the course of two weekends, with grit and cement from my neighbour and the help of my domestic worker’s two friends, Norman and David, we started fixing the street.”
Pozyn added that they had all the safety measures in place, with danger tape and barricades to warn motorists that work was being done, things that he funded himself.
“We filled the potholes and trench with sand and concrete to get the job done as neatly as possible,” he added.
“The potholes are really bad here in Algoa Park. Residents have tried to contact the municipality via the app but to no avail.”
Apart from ensuring motorists’ safety, Pozyn has also taken it upon himself to clean-up the bushy open field close to his house that is always overgrown.
“I borrowed my sister’s chainsaw and it cost me about R1 000 just to get rid of all the bushes and rubble in the open field just to try and make it a little safer for everyone. I came across a prisoner’s uniform and sleeping places of what seem to be criminals,” he added.
Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality spokesperson, Mthubanzi Mniki, said that residents are encouraged to ask for a reference number when contacting the NMBM to report service delivery issues.
“The reference number assists in tracking the query, checking on its progress and making sure that the turnaround time is acceptable. Inasmuch as this is not reflected in the system, a team will be sent to sort this out before the end of this week.”
