“FIXING one pothole at a time” is the motto of Jaco Gallant from Heath Park, who recently began repairing potholes in the northern areas of Nelson Mandela Bay, after noticing the effects that the cracks and holes had on cars in the area.
Owing to the poor lack of maintenance on roads by the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, Gallant who is the owner of a car parts store, embarked on a project to fix 300 potholes in the northern areas.
“The number of water leaks and potholes in the northern areas is out of hand. The holes have a major effect on our cars and have caused wheel punctures and serious damage to our rims among other things,” said Gallant.
Since he began his pothole project four weeks ago, Gallant has hired four local qualified building contractors to help with the repair of at least 40 major potholes in Booysens Park, Heath Park, West End and Bethelsdorp.
“I have mainly been repairing big holes that have the biggest effect on cars. Once the big holes are repaired, I will then repair the minor potholes and will continue doing so until the end of November,” he said.
With equipment and material including spades, chisels, rakes, wheelbarrows, cement, grit, and sand, each Sunday afternoon, Gallant repairs various sized potholes which can take between 20 minutes and one hour depending on the size of the hole.
“I buy my own material and pay my workers to help me repair the potholes.
“I have all the necessary equipment and I have most of the material, but I am not sure how long the repairs will last due to the traffic on the roads and the constant water leaks in the area, which weaken the tar,” he said.
Fortunately, Gallant’s hard work has not gone unnoticed, as he has received positive feedback from residents who are impressed and grateful for his efforts.
“The residents in the area have noticed the pothole repairs and are impressed with what we are doing. It is rare seeing people in the community standing up and doing things themselves for the benefit of others,” said Gallant.
“My hope is that this project will encourage people to recognise the hard work and efforts by the residents in the community who are trying to improve the area. I also hope that government tenders will be granted to hardworking and qualified people in our areas.”
After multiple complaints from residents in the Bay about potholes, Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality portfolio head for roads and transport, Councillor Rosie Daaminds, launched an R11.5 million project last month, which will see all potholes fixed across the city.
Speaking during the launch in Zwide on September 29, Daaminds said, “We have already started with the repair of potholes and plan to complete the project within two to three months.”
She said once the project had been completed, regular maintenance will take place.
“We are using two contractors and 23 small contractors. There are contractors throughout NMB because we listen when our residents talk,” Daaminds said.
She further said the budget would be increased to R15 million soon, to ensure adequate roads maintenance across the city, while also working closely with the city’s Department of Infrastructure and Engineering that hired companies to aggressively deal with water leaks that often contributed to potholes.
Municipal spokesperson, Mamela Ndamase, said although they appreciated the voluntary assistance with repairing potholes in NMB, they encouraged ward councillors to inform the relevant department about potholes in their areas.
“There has been a backlog with repairing potholes in NMB, but the MMC has launched a war on the potholes project to fix potholes throughout the city,” said Ndamase.
