Residents of Ilinge who do not want another fatal incident to occur on the pothole-ridden main road took it upon themselves to repair it.
One of the concerned citizens, Asanda Sizani, said a woman recently lost her life in an accident when a car tried to avoid a pothole on the busy road. “Recently a child was hit by a car and was taken to hospital and had sustained head injuries. Vehicles are being damaged. We could not wait any longer. One life is enough, it cannot be more than that. We took responsibility to rectify this because poor road conditions discourage investors in this area. There is a lot we can rectify so people can position themselves in business and many ways so that everyone can benefit in the process. Willingly I believe that the community can accomplish a lot when working together.”
Sizani said they had made appeals on social media seeking donations to do the repairs. “We engaged with foreign national shop owners who are also affected who were keen to join in and assist. When we started, the initiative gained momentum and we are even surprised with the amount of support. We are almost done with phase one and are preparing to begin with phase two. The community is participating. We are fully aware of level 4 lockdown regulations and we have put up sanitisation stations, road signage and personal protective equipment.”
Sizani said the initiative had been running for two weeks where they use a combination of cement, crusher stone and river sand to fill the deep potholes.
“We need to have professional engagements, an economical cluster that will discuss issues around uplifting the community of Ilinge,” he noted.
Another resident Nqaba Wana whose vehicles have suffered a great deal said the road had been bad for ages as a result car drivers preferred to use the gravel road. He added that the project was just the beginning and he was impressed with the youth of Ilinge.
Uncedo Services Taxi association Ilinge chairman Uyizizwe Solani said he had written several letters to relevant stakeholders to demand intervention. “We constantly have to fix our vehicles and buy new parts. We need leaders that will think broadly and who will change the situation. I think this young man (Sizani) will bring this change.”
