Potholes make streets a danger zone
No sooner had the 2023 National Arts Festival (NAF) blasted off in auditoriums and halls throughout Makhanda, and thespians, musicians and backroom staff from all over the world took to stages and orchestra pits, than a Gqeberha-based daily newspaper carried a front-page story, not of the much-vaunted festival itself, but of the shocking state of Festival City’s potholed streets.
The story was written by a journalist who for the 11 days of festival was on deployment to Makhanda to cover dozens of shows, exhibitions and other events making up the NAF, submitting stories and photographs to his publication.
For the festival period the journalist stayed comfortably at a self-catering establishment in the Sunnyside suburb, not too far away from Jackson Street where the potholes had virtually ‘taken over’, leaving dozens of ‘craters’ in a 100m stretch of the busy thoroughfare.
On his way to his first show, the journalist sensed a story in the making after checking out the Jackson Street potholes, and took a ‘long cut’ to the 1820 Settlers National Monument, encountering many more potholeplagued streets along the way. Story made!
The following day the story and photographs appeared in the widelyread publication.
Many Makhandans took umbrage at the story and graphic pictures appearing on the front page of what was a regional newspaper, more so in view of the fact that the writer was a non-resident of Makhanda but indeed a festival visitor.
The gall, they seemed to imply in letters to the newspaper and posts on social media.
But as it has turned out, the journalist’s words and photos were true, very true.
Just look at the present-day situation. The section of Jackson Street that inspired the original story is in a far worse state than was the case back in June last year.
The fact remains, now several months later, the state of potholeriddled streets is worse than ever.
Talk of the Town took a drive in and around Makhanda at the weekend in an effort to ascertain the worst-affected thoroughfares. But first, let’s get into the town itself.
To many residents, Rautenbach Road in the industrial area is a shortcut to the military base, private schools and the Hill 60, Westhill, Cradock Heights and Somerset Heights suburbs.
A year ago, Rautenbach Road was in a reasonable state — nowadays there are potholes from the N2 bypass right through to Cradock Road.
Last year’s ‘umbrage’ story began in Jackson Street in Sunnyside, which happens to be the main access road to the provincial ambulance service’s Makhanda depot.
The section of Jackson Street between Whiteside and Kennelly Streets is in an appalling condition, and a visit by senior Makana municipal officials and provincial health department officials might be in order, this column writer feels.
Next up on the list of Makhanda’s worst pothole offenders is in the area of the traffic circle (below the former railway station) at the lower end of High Street, as well as the flyover leading towards Park Road.
A resident has stated that it has become quite common to see vehicles playing ‘dodgems’ in that area as they attempt to avoid potholes.
However, a concerted effort appears to be in the making at effecting repairs in the area of the traffic circle, with construction work seemingly in progress, as observed at the weekend.
Hopefully these repairs will extend up High Street towards Church Square, as well as up the flyover towards the Kingswood traffic circle.
Heading in a northerly direction up Ayliff Street, with the Kingswood campus on the right, one encounters an ‘almost beyond any hope’ situation at the Ayliff/Seymour/Knowling Street intersection. Even robust 4x4 vehicles were treading carefully at that intersection, it’s that bad!
A resident in the area described the Ayliff/Seymour/Knowling intersection as “horrific”, while expressing genuine concern about the state of other intersections in the same area below Sugarloafhill — Ayliff Street/Fitzroy Street, Park Road/Fitzroy Street and Oatlands Road/Fitzroy Street.
Knowling Street itself is not much better, and Miles Street, leading to upmarket hillside housing complexes, appears to be heading that way.
Other really unacceptable potholeplagued streets encountered during the weekend’s ‘pothole jaunt’ by this writer were Park Road; Milner/Worcester Street intersection; Grocott Street; Knight Street in the CBD right in front of the traffic department and fire station, and which is in particularly poor state; and Allen Street running between New
Street and African Street.
This writer is quick to point out that the pothole-plagued streets encountered on the drive around Makhanda represent the tip of the iceberg.
There are many more potholed streets, and these will be covered in coming editions. Readers are invited to add to the growing list of potholed streets by e-mailing
sidp@imaginet.co.za.
WAITING FOR COMPLETION
If the company appointed to replace asbestos water pipes in various parts of Makhanda early last year are of the opinion that the contract is done and dusted on the southern edge of Sunnyside, residents in the area have news for them.
There’s a strip at the intersection of Rennie Avenue and Watson Street that still needs to be tarred over following the excavation of trenches.
Oh, and there is still a water leak at that same spot, but maybe that’ sa municipal problem. Either way, the leak should have been fixed by now, as water has been wasted for many months, flowing merrily down the street.
FAREWELL, AND GO WELL
Towards the end of 2023, St Andrew’s College bade farewell to no less than eight staff members with more than 125 years of service between them.
In January 1968, Pepe Morton was approached to be a substitute teacher at St Andrew’s, and has been associated with the school ever since as a teacher, sports coach and cadet officer — all of 56 years
— and she has now retired.
Lynne Mullins started at St Andrew’s 22 years ago and has worked in the travel office, alumni relations division, as well as the marketing and admissions offices. She has also retired.
Judy Hoefnagels, one of the longestserving members of the maths department, has rendered 16 years of dedicated service and will be taking up a similar position in the Western Cape.
After 13 years of exemplary service, Gerry Posthumus leaves to take up a position in Cape Town. He started as a maths teacher and also made a “remarkable contribution” to sport at St Andrew’s, specialising in cricket and rugby.
Director of rugby, Andy Royle, has left
St Andrew’s after nine years, during which time he was first XV rugby coach and deputy housemaster.
Annalie Hendrikz has retired after eight years of service as head of the Afrikaans department, and has been described as the driving force behind the success and growth of the department.
Nomkhitha Minja joined the geography department three years ago, and has also been in charge of debating.
Sibongile Sithole joined the staff as travel co-ordinator and leaves to take up a position elsewhere.
SHOOTING ON THE RANGE
Sean Bosman has been appointed teacher in charge of shooting at St Andrew’s College, and intends building on the legacy left by recently retired Pepe Morton who ensured that all who passed through the shooting range gates knew more about the sport as well as their own characters.
THREE TO START WITH
No sooner has 2024 kicked off than three sports festivals and tournaments are scheduled to take place in Makhanda.
First up is the Makhanda Schools’ Cricket Festival involving several Eastern Cape schools on local grounds from January 9-13. This will be followed, from January 25-28, by the St Andrew ’ s Shield water polo tournament at St Andrew’s College, and the Dave Hodgson squash festival at St Andrew’s from February 1-3.
ON PARKRUN PATHWAYS
While the local parkrun in Makana botanical gardens had 38 participants last Saturday, parkruns at coastal towns and resorts were smiling broadly with fields of 200-plus runners, joggers and walkers a regular occurrence at those parkruns.
Things are expected to change, however, with the return to Makhanda of university students and staff, plus school pupils and residents returning from holidays spent elsewhere.
The next occasion on which Harry Porthen takes to the local parkrun course he will be completing his 200th Makhanda parkrun, bringing his total to 209.
Karen Davies and Phemelo PJ Hellemann have three and five parkruns to go respectively to their 150th, while Tonderai Musarurwa has two to go to his 100th and Orrin Snelgar nine to go to his 100th.
Parkruns are held at 8am each Saturday from the entrance to the botanical gardens in Lucas Avenue.
SPORTING MOVES
Just as there are movements galore on sports courts and fields, so too have there been movements within the sporting structures at St Andrew’s College in recent time.
Carl Bradfield, director of cricket at the school for upwards of 15 years, has been appointed director of sport with effect from January 2024.
Old Andrean Jonny Mallett, housemaster at Merriman House, head of the life orientation department and rugby coach, has been appointed teacher in charge of rugby at St Andrew’s in the wake of the departure of director of rugby, Andy Royle. Mallett is part of the coaching team for the St Andrew’s first XV in 2024, joining Carl Bradfield and Mike Fennell.
Old Andrean Scott Jackson, the current head of the accounting department, has been appointed teacher in charge of squash.
CHOPPER ON THE FIELD
Occasionally, a helicopter flies over the eastern part of Sunnyside from the direction of Stones Hill, ostensibly headed for Makhanda’s CBD or thereabouts. Wonder where it ‘parks’ in town, before heading back towards the rural suburb?
Reminds the writer of the time, some 15 years back, when the Grahamstown This Week (GTW) newspaper offices (part of the then Johnnic group) were on the ground floor of the Somerset Lodge block of flats in Somerset Street and just up the road from African Street.
At the rear of the building, and visible from the kitchen of the GTW offices, was a St Andrew’s College hockey and cricket field.
On two or three occasions in one particular year, a smallish helicopter (twoseater perhaps?) would hover above the field and then land near Somerset Lodge, and the pilot (the lone occupant) would pull the aircraft closer to the flats, a couple of metres away from the GTW offices.
Upon enquiring, the GTW staff flying ascertained to visit it his was son an at East St Andrew London’father s and, after spending the night in town, would return home.
The same field no longer has a grass topping but is an astroturf serving St Andrew’s and DSG hockey.