Some township roads in Grahamstown are so bad, drivers aim for the sidewalks rather than risk ruining their vehicles.
Some township roads in Grahamstown are so bad, drivers aim for the sidewalks rather than risk ruining their vehicles.
Deteriorating roads are forcing owners of vehicles, especially taxis, to dig deep into their pockets to keep them on the road.
Extension 9 taxi driver Thandisizwe Singapi told Grocott's Mail his shock absorbers and other parts of his taxi had to be repaired frequently, thanks to the shocking condition of local roads.
One of the worst, he said, was Sani Street, starting near Extension 5, leading into Extension 7 and continuing on the unfinished section to Extension 9.
"We cough up a lot of money to fix these vehicles, but we can't escape these roads because we have to drive people up and down. The one in Extension 6 near Benjamin Mahlasela and the one that has just been built in Extension 9 are really bad," he said.
Another taxi driver, Mbulelo Mawuse, told Grocott's Mail that the problem was the way Makana Municipality tried to repair damage to roads.
"They do fix them, but it's only a matter of days before the patched-up areas are damaged again," he said.
As well as Sani Street, he also named the newly built Extension 9 road as among the most damaging.
"There, I try and avoid driving on the actual road and just drive on the side of it," Mawuse said.
Municipal spokesman Mncedisi Boma was not available for comment at the time of going to press.
