Celani Sikhakhane
In the remote area of Nquthu, north of KwaZulu-Natal, roads are so bad that the police and emergency services struggle to get to the community, especially when it has rained.
The road in the Hlazakazi area has been damaged for years and the December heavy rains made it worse.
Some young unemployed men in the communities decided to take matters into their own hands.
Community leader Ayanda Magubane told Scrolla.Africa that they had to get together to fix the road in the Umzinyathi district.
“We had a challenge that even the grader machines that were sent to fix the road were unable to do so due to the big rocks that were emerging from underground. We then decided last week to take our tools and dig out the rocks and fix the road,” said Magubane.
He said that the crisis was beyond control because no vehicles were able to use the roads due to the damage caused by heavy rains.
“If the car is not an SUV or bakkie, it becomes impossible to use the road which affects many community members. We did that as young people without looking for any reward because we are assisting our community and ourselves from the crisis,” added Magubane.
Many parts of Nquthu have gravel roads that make it difficult to access some of the areas easily.
The roads are not tarred for tourist destinations that are mostly visited by international tourists, such as Isandlwane, Mangeni waterfall and Blood River.
Nquthu Local Municipality head of communication Thokozani Nyandeni directed questions to the municipal manager Sthembiso Mthembu, who could not be reached for comment.
