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Mbombela - Residents of Pienaar, outside Mbombela in Mpumalanga, have threatened to take shovels and go dig up government offices in a confrontation over unfixed potholes.
"We demand that the government fix these potholes, we are tired of having to shift to the other side when we are driving and it is not safe. Not long ago, there was a car crash because of these potholes," said resident Sizwe Dhludhlu.
The condition of some roads is often so bad that motorists are forced to weave from side to side in a desperate bid not to fall into large potholes.
The situation results in very long traffic jams during rush hour, which become worse when cars fall into the craters.
Taking a 'different step'
Residents claim that attempts to report the crisis to the Mbombela Local Municipality have proved fruitless.
Resident Nolwazi Nkosi said little respect is left for state officials who do nothing to alleviate a clearly serious situation.
"These people are just there to sit and do nothing. They don't even go to the field to find out what is happening in communities," she complained.
"This time we will not go on strike but we will go dig up government offices. We went on strikes so many times but they did not assist; now it's about time we take a different step. We will hire a bus to fetch us from here to their offices and we will be armed and prepared."
Spokesperson for the municipality Joseph Ngala said: "We haven't heard anything about this matter but I will send this information to the relevant department for further investigation."
