Residents of Cosmo City reclaiming the state of their roads. Photo: SD Nqono/ Facebook.
Instead of closing down roads with burning tyres and debris, residents of Cosmo City are using that energy to fix neglected potholes
Residents of Cosmo City reclaiming the state of their roads. Photo: SD Nqono/ Facebook.
Instead of closing down roads with burning tyres and debris, residents of Cosmo City have decided to channel their energies differently by tackling potholes.
Recent rains and floods have further deteriorated the roads in Cosmo City, north of Johannesburg, making it a tough mission for motorists travelling on these worn-out roads.
Pedestrians are also not safe as motorists have resorted to driving on pavements to avoid hitting potholes or falling into trenches on the shabby roads.
Instead of waiting for the City of Johannesburg to act (long overdue), the residents have started filling up the potholes and trenches with debris to bring ease to the motorists.
This service is done by the unemployed youth who spend most of the day filling up the potholes and in turn earn gratuity from motorists.
“We find old bricks and sand to fill up the potholes. These roads have been like this for months now.”
KB Pheko
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KB told The South African that they make living out of fixing potholes.
“We make roughly R200 on a good day. We split the money among ourselves and buy whatever we need, it be food or a clothing item,” he said.
He also mentioned that this kind of work is booming in Cosmo City as numerous roads are battered by potholes.
“Instead of sitting at home, I’d rather encourage the boys to go out and find a spot where they can fill up potholes and collect loose coins from appreciative drivers. Motorists respect what we do,” he advised.
When we spoke to a few of the concerned residents, some raised a number of factors that attributed to the deterioration of the roads:
ALSO READ: WATCH: Navigating the toughest potholes, trenches in Cosmo City