Is this the worst street in South Africa?
Olieboom Street in Schaapkraal in Cape Town has so many potholes, it looks like an egg tray.
On Tuesday during peak hour, a group of over 50 Highlands Estate residents blocked off the holey street to protest the poor conditions of their roads and to show motorists what they have to drive through on a daily basis.
Maryam Boolie, 41, who lives in nearby Pepper Street, said there are more holes than road surface in the Philippi suburb and the residents are tired of waiting for the City of Cape Town to do something about it.
“These potholes have been here for 20 years now and it just keeps getting worse, so we decided that enough was enough and that it was time for us to do something about it,” she said.
“We blocked off Olieboom and forced people to ride through our streets just so that they can feel our pain.”
By barricading Olieboom, the residents forced motorists to enter Highlands Estate via Dietrich Road and then to navigate their way through the potholes.
Boolie said Pepper, Cumin and Chilli Streets have become impossible to drive on and their complaints are falling on deaf ears.
“I cannot tell you how many times we have called them to come and fix the roads but nobody ever comes around here,” she said.
“We live here but we cannot drive our cars without the risk of them being damaged and there are also no parks or anything for the children. It is like the City just does not care about us.”
A video sent to Daily Voice shows a road dotted with potholes to the point where you can no longer see black tar.
Logs have been placed in front of the houses to prevent vehicles from driving on residents’ properties to avoid the potholes.
According to Boolie, the protest lasted from after 4pm till 8pm, and, while the group did burn tree branches to leave in the street, there was no damage done to any public property.
City of Cape Town spokesperson Luthando Tyhalibongo says: “The City’s road infrastructure and management district office in Athlone notes these complaints and will investigate the service requests as a matter of urgency.
“The department has started work in the Philippi Horticultural Area.”
* If your road is worse than these, send a picture to [email protected].
Daily Voice