LEBOGANG SEALE
WORK to install pavements along the notorious Mdlalose Street in Soweto is nearing completion, two weeks after construction began.
The quick progress has raised questions as to why it took so long for the upgrade of the half-a-kilometre stretch of road linking Protea North to Protea Glen.
It was here that musician Molemo “Jub Jub” Maarohanye and his co-accused, Themba Tshabalala, were in an accident that killed four children and seriously injured two more, allegedly during a drag race, in 2010.
Two weeks ago, The Star published a story about the two-year delay to fix the road, prompting Gauteng Roads and Transport MEC Ismail Vadi to act. Vadi; the department’s head, Mavela Dlamini; and the City of Joburg’s MMC for transport, Rehana Moosajee, were on site when the R3.4 million project to lay the pavement began on February 24.
Yesterday, schoolchildren walked along the freshly paved walkways on each side of the road on their way home. Just days earlier, they had to walk in the road, watching for oncoming cars.
Contractors were busy narrowing the road on the bridge to create space for the 2m-wide pavement.
Pedestrians expressed satisfaction with the pavement.
“It’s good because we now have our own space to walk without fear of being hit by cars,” said Sihle Dlamini, a Grade 9 pupil at Tetelo Senior Secondary School in Protea North. “We feel very protected now, but I don’t know why it took so long.”
Sihle’s schoolmate Cynthia Walters was particularly pleased with the pavement’s size. “See, all these crowds are free to walk without fear of cars,” Cynthia said, pointing at the pupils walking on the pavement.
“No car can interfere with us unless the driver is drunk. The pavement is also good because we won’t have to walk in the mud when it rains. I wish they had done it a long time ago.”
Also pleased was Thelma Hlongwane, a pupil at Altmont Technical School.
“We now feel safe. They should have done it before the Jub Jub accident.”
It is not just the pupils who have welcomed the upgrade.
“The pavement has made a huge difference. As it was gravel, we couldn’t walk properly because it was rough, dusty and muddy during rains,” said Sibusiso Sibeko, of Protea Glen. “It’s a pity that it took the death of children before they fixed it.”
But not everybody was entirely impressed.
“It is good. The only problem is that the bridge is not stable. It has many cracks,” said Singita Mathye, a pupil at Altmont.
The project, which was awarded to Cebekhulu Civil Engineering Contractors, is expected to be completed before the end of this month.