SHAYANDIMA – Potholes and uneven streets in Shayandima will be things of the past, following the official opening of a 6km access road by Local Government and Housing MEC Joe Maswanganyi here on Sunday.

In the past, residents complained about the dusty and bumpy streets in their area. Thulamela Municipality, in conjunction with the Consolidated Municipal Infrastructure Programme (CMIP) of the provincial Department of Local Government and Housing, responded by re-surfacing an extension of the main streets, at a cost of R6 385 950.

In his opening address, Maswanganyi said that in the construction process, 37 local people were employed on a short-term basis. He added that the communities will now be able to access public transport with ease.

He said that the government has also constructed a fire station along the Tswinga road at the cost of R4,6 million, put up palisade fencing at a cost of R700 000, connected electricity at a cost of R4,9 million, upgraded the sewage system at a cost of R16 million, built 137 houses at Itsani at a cost of R2 million and revamped the access road to Itsani at a cost of R1,2 million.

"The Makwarela streets will be upgraded and the government has allocated R3,5 million for Makwarela's streets, R2 million has also been allocated for upgrading Thohoyandou's streets and another R2 million will be utilized in the upgrading of the Malamulele streets," said Maswanganyi.