The worst pothole in South Africa

The worst pothole in South Africa is found in Toekomsrus, a residential suburb on the West Rand of Gauteng, near Randfontein.

Historically designated as a suburb for the coloured community, its name translates to the future place of rest.

Liam Jacobs recently visited the area to speak with community leaders about the pothole and the challenges of getting it fixed.

One community member said he has tried everything on his end to address the problem, without success.

“I have had two Members of the Mayoral Committee out on different occasions who came for oversight about a year ago,” he said.

“I also recently discussed the matter with the Executive Mayor, William Matsheke, and asked him to come and conduct oversight.”

He said the mayor promised to visit the area to assess the situation. However, they were still waiting.

“I have also submitted a petition regarding this road, arguing that it should not be resurfaced. It must be completely redone,” he said.

He said that the road was poorly built, which was the root cause of the large pothole which had developed.

“This is a corruption premium on your road. This is what a premium subscription to corruption looks like,” he said.

He said that there is no proper gravel on the road. “It was not constructed correctly. It is just a piece of tar that was thrown over a dirt road.”

“The guy who built the road probably owns a tuck shop. It cannot be. You will just do it over and over and over again.”

The Toekomsrus community has tried to fill the pothole with bricks to make driving easier, but it has had little effect.

Photos of the pothole