The “Repair Our Awful Roads” team took up the challenge in December, to spend 2023 making the Southern Drakensberg roads better.
Drakensberg, South Africa (05 January 2023) – Every South African knows the sinking feeling of hitting a pothole and feeling the absolute frustration of seeing bad roads get worse. In many cases, communities are starting to step up and fix the roads themselves.
The reason many communities choose to fix their own roads is that they have grown tired of waiting for the local government to do it. Many communities have felt the loss of income when roads deter tourists or the loss of funds when repairs need to be made to cars caught unaware by potholes.
One such community project that is taking matters into its own hands, is the Southern Drakensberg community. They have launched the “Repair Our Awful Roads” (ROAR) project.
“We have the skills, knowledge and ability to fixed a simple pothole. We have been there done it and got the T shirts.
But we are going to try our level best to keep the area alive, save lives and millions of rands, and draw visitors here, with or without government promises.”
They were offered an account at Buildit Underberg where the community could donate funds which are then used for supplies to repair the roads. The manager has committed to assisting in bringing in the needed tools and resources at an affordable cost for the ROAR team.
South Africa is always uplifted by businesses and community members willing to put in the work. The ROAR team is committed to saving its community by filling potholes. It sounds simple, and it is just that, a simple solution to a complex issue.
It all started in 2021 when three people started fixing potholes. Of the potholes they filled, all have stood the test of time. Only one has sunk and only by 30mm, so they are going to be compacting it and refilling it in the hope that it will stabilise.
The ROAR Facebook page shares all the technical parts of filling the pothole, including information on the resources and compounds used. They are led by Allan Parrock who has over five decades of experience in road works. The team are just getting started!
The team are looking for volunteers to be able to fill more potholes in the area and surrounds. The more they fill, the more the community will thrive. You can find out how to get involved via Facebook here. So far, the community has helped them raise just over R2000 with Buildit too.
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