Two teens are facing a municipal problem head on with shovels and brooms

Image: Tremaine van Aardt

Every second weekend Amelio Oorman, 14, and Manfred Fortein, 19, head to Tuna Road in Uitenhage to fill potholes and deal with a sewerage leak.

The teens have become tired of the bad condition of the road and have taken it upon themselves to deal with the issue. They only have shovels and a broom which means they need to go back every few weeks to maintain their hard work.

According to the Herald Live, the young men prevent a pool of sewage from cascading down a nearby embankment. The municipality has been in several times to do quick patch jobs and temporary fixes but the leak has been bubbling for several years now.

The young men started their project about four years ago and have continued to make sure the raw sewerage doesn’t end up flooding the busy street. They take sand and cover the open mess to help with the smell. They do this all without any compensation or acknowledgement from city officials.

However, their neighbours are really grateful for the effort and sometimes give them lunch and cool drinks as a thank you.

“It’s not about the money, it’s about living in a clean environment. Especially for the children in the area who walk past and through this every day because it floods in front of the shop,”

“We report the leaks regularly but it takes days before someone arrives. So we watched what they [municipal services] do and then we do the same. It is usually just a blockage that has built up, then we clear it using our own steel rods we found in the bush.

“But a more permanent solution needs to be found by the municipality. They have been attending to this same problem for at least five years. Why can’t it be fixed permanently?” – Manfred Fortein

These two young men are the perfect examples of active citizenship done right. They work not to benefit themselves but to help out their community as a whole.