THE City of Tshwane's money woes have forced the Mamelodi local and long-distance Taxi Association (Malta) and the Mamelodi Amalgamated Taxi Association (Mata) to band together.
They have pledged to repair damaged and heavily degraded roads in Mamelodi at their own expense without the city’s help.
Plans are in the works, and the road-fixing construction initiative is underway at the Mamelodi RDP section under the leadership of Ward 97 Councillor Mike Mogaluse.
Mogaluse has expressed gratitude and relief that they have joined forces with the gurus of the transport industry to give back to the community and improve the poor state of Mamelodi.
During Daily Sun’s visit to the area, the old, eroded and damaged concrete was removed, and the associations donated 10 trucks of strong G5 soil, as well as gravel to repair the road.
Speaking to Daily Sun, Mogaluse emphasised that the difficulty the area was facing was a lack of funding.
He said he was pleased to see the two associations collaborating as they both use the roads daily.
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“Immediately after I approached and asked them to intervene, they never hesitated. They immediately agreed to help with 10 loads of G5 soil, which is a big change given the road's bad condition,” Mogaluse said.
He said he valued their support and togetherness and was anticipating big change to the community if they continued to collaborate going forward.
“In order for the city to fix this road in Mamelodi, they need approximately R1,5 million to repair the entire road. We were informed that we'll get assistance from the MMC of transport and that plans are in place for this year’s financial budget that includes road drawings and financial projections to develop the tarred road in the fiscal year 2025/2026 budget scheduled for June,” he said.
Mogaluse thanked the taxi associations for not waiting for the city and took the matter into their own hands.
Mata chairman Oupa Maredi said they had received numerous complaints from people about the conditions of the roads, clogged pipes and a lack of service delivery, as well as potholes that damage residents' cars and cause their taxis to be unable to reach other parts of Mamelodi.
"The association chose to give back to the community because they've always supported the sector. Initially, the organisations wanted to create a gun-free environment, but we've now shifted focus to provide the community with what it needs," he said.
Maredi said they were businessmen and not politicians.
Malta's chairman Setemere Monareng said a water pipe that had been leaking for nearly three weeks was repaired in less than 30 minutes.
"The city has failed us. We won't rely on a bankrupt city, so we'll start with a solid and gravel road that won't get damaged even during rainy season," he said.
On the other hand, City of Tshwane spokesman Lindela Mashego, said if the road is a municipal road, the process is that anyone who wants to work on it must engage with the roads and transport services section in the region.
“They need to apply for a go-ahead at the city and work can commence once they receive an approved permission from the city,” Mashego said.
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