(Photo provided)
AfriForum Youth’s PUK branch on Potchefstroom officially kicked off its Gatvol campaign today in protest against the deteriorating condition of roads around the North-West University’s (NWU) Potchefstroom campus. As part of the campaign, the branch today sent a letter to Kgomotso Kumbe, municipal manager of the JB Marks local municipality, demanding the urgent repair of ten high-risk potholes in the town.
In the run-up to the official start of the Gatvol campaign, a number of AfriForum Youth members gathered on 16 April to visibly express their frustration with the poor condition of roads. During this gathering, students – standing in one of the biggest potholes in this town – strategically spelled out the word “Gatvol” on their seating level.
At the same time, the branch also identified the ten high-risk pitfalls. Warning signs stating, among other things, “Welcome to Potholestroom” and “Diving lessons here: Diving here is more than just tyres” have been erected at these potholes.
According to AfriForum Youth, the notice boards are not only aimed at warning motorists about the dangerous potholes, but also at pointing out to the municipality that urgent intervention is needed.
AfriForum Youth has now given the municipality 30 days to repair the ten potholes that have been identified. These identified pitfalls are located as follows:
- Hoffman Street 72
- 56 Rissik Street
- 54 Rissik Street
- 59A Molenstraat (on the corner of Molen and Meyerstraat)
- Molenstraat 41
- 47 Meyer Street
- 44 Meyer Street
- 25 Chief Albert Luthuli Drive
- Steve Bikostraat 139
- 25 Esselenstraat
“We refuse to accept this new ‘normal’. Potholes are not part of an everyday adventure or phenomenon. It is a sign of neglect and a lack of accountability,” says Janké Crots, chairman and spokesperson of AfriForum Youth’s PUK branch. “What we are seeing is not simply poor infrastructure, but the systemic collapse of service delivery that can no longer be ignored.”
AfriForum Youth maintains that Potchefstroom’s roads are now characterized by extensive potholes that no longer only cause inconvenience, but also pose serious safety risks for all road users. The organization further argues that the municipality’s failure to maintain the roads also repeatedly leads to vehicles being stopped.
“The municipality has a critical responsibility to maintain public infrastructure and ensure its safety and functionality. This is a responsibility placed on municipalities under the Constitution. Therefore, the failure to properly maintain roads is a blatant violation of the Constitution that has serious legal implications,” adds Crots.
Students, residents and parents are encouraged to support AfriForum Youth’s petition and the Gatvol campaign and thus help to hold the municipality to account. The organization hopes to bring about real change through this campaign and therefore calls on the municipality to:
- prioritize the repair of identified pitfalls;
- draw up and implement a transparent and sustainable road maintenance plan; and
- giving regular feedback to the public about the progress and challenges encountered in this regard.
“Safe roads are not a luxury – they are a basic right. We will no longer stand by as our infrastructure decays and people are put at risk. We choose to stand up, to speak out and to take action.”