Motorists using the R508 road between Musina and Tshipise daily are calling on the Musina Municipality to fix the damage caused by the recent good rains at a low-water bridge about 14km from Musina.

Sections of the tarred road have been washed away by flood waters, causing a danger to motorists. Water is supposed to run under the bridge, but this passage is blocked by sand and debris.

Speaking to Limpopo Mirror, Mr Tony O’Callaghan, a motorist from Tshipise working in Musina, said: “The municipality has to attend to this as a matter of urgency, because you might get a person who does not know that the road has been damaged and that could cause a nasty accident. I am especially worried about the school children from Tshipise who travel on the road by school bus.”

Not far down the road, workers from the Department of Roads were spotted repairing some potholes. “A lot of the potholes along this road have been fixed with sand as opposed to having been fixed correctly,” said O’Callaghan.

According to Reinhardt Fick, a resident of Musina, road maintenance should be one of the municipality’s priorities.

Not far from the N1, at Musina Mall, is Harper road, heading towards Kembo township. Here, two 18-year-old boys took it upon themselves to do road maintenance. They use gravel and fill potholes that have been left unattended for a long time.

The two, Lucky Lefuka and Deon Mutavhatsina, have allocated themselves places where they maintain the road. “I neither have a birth certificate nor an ID and this makes my life difficult. My parents are separated. Neither of them is willing to look after me. In August this year, I decided to move from my rural village to Musina town in search of work. I could not get employment, but I noted the state of the Harper road and I thought of filling in potholes with sand, so that motorists could travel safely,” said Lefuka.

Lefuka started his initiative in August this year and said motorists were appreciating his effort. On a good day he gets R80 in tips, which he uses to buy food. He stays in a rented room that costs him R400 per month.

Going further west along Harper road is where you will find Mutavhatsivo. He also fills potholes with gravel he fetches nearby. He stays at Harper village, close to his work place.