Pretoria - Residents of Soshanguve extensions 9, 10, 12 and 13 are no longer willing to accept the municipality’s excuse of having no money when it comes to uplifting their area.
The community took to their main road on Friday and blocked it with rocks, burning tyres, and rotten produce to protest the lack of proper roads.
They stood back watching as the police tried to remove the rubble from the road.
A disgruntled community member, who asked to remain anonymous, said they were tired of constantly being neglected by the city.
“We have no roads and things are worse when it rains and we are forced to make our way through the mud with plastic bags over our shoes. We can’t access basic services. At funerals the hearse has to stop on the side of the road and the coffin gets carried to the relevant home because the roads are not passable. Undertakers don’t want to risk damage to their cars,” he said.
“There are no clinics or schools close by and as if that wasn’t bad enough we are chased by nyaope addicts,” said the resident.
Community members said the area had been neglected for 14 years.
Councillor for the area Siphiwe Montlha said the community was fed up after going through the right channels for the past three financial years to get roads. Montlha said their requests had been turned down numerous times and when a petition was submitted to the council the response upset residents.
Tshwane spokesman Selby Bokaba confirmed that George Matjila, MMC for roads and transport, held a meeting with community representatives on February 5 to discuss the issue relating to roads in extension 9, 10, 12 and 13.
“The resolution of the meeting was that the MMC will consult with the mayor to source funds for the requested roads and that developments would be communicated through the community representatives,” he said.
Montlha said: “The council told the community there just wasn’t enough money to build new roads, only enough to maintain existing roads. It is understandable that the community is angry. The situation really is that bad.
“The lack of roads impedes basic services like police being able to respond to their calls. They were unhappy with the response given at the meeting and so they blocked the roads.
“We are trying to calm the situation,” he said.
Montlha said the community was demanding a direct response from Tshwane mayor Kgosientso Ramokgopa and the minister of roads and transport.
Pretoria News Weekend