Hole-y crew become one with potholes
Hope merchants use Gatvol, a locally developed gravel and tar mix, to repair ‘unholy streets’
● A group of “holy” Pretoria residents armed with buckets and spades took their Gatvol concoction to potholed streets on Wednesday in the name of reconciliation.
The Gatvol remedy — not to be mistaken with the slang to describe the feeling of being fed up — is a ready-mix of gravel and tar to fix gaping potholes as part of an initiative by civic organisation Betereinders (translated as “Betterenders”).
The group’s slogan is that it marches forward “on two legs: reconciliation and restitution”.
The event saw about 100 people gather to address their frustration over unfixed roads while uniting as part of the group’s Be One motto.
One of the founding members and a director of the Betereinders movement is pastor Johan Erasmus of the Dialogue Community Church in Pretoria.
He said: “This night is bigger than most people understand. We are more than a hundred people in 16 teams using 5 tonnes of Gatvol mix to better our community.”
As Rev JI de Wet, the leader of the Oosterlig Dutch Reformed congregation in Pretoria’s eastern parts — where some of the volunteers gathered before heading out — jokingly warned the teams: “Please be safe. We want people with high visibility vests and a flag on every site and at every pothole to keep an eye on oncoming traffic. We hope nobody gets arrested, but if you do, it will be wonderful PR for the project. Maybe we should pray for that to happen.”
Anglican priest Rev Siphiwe Sibiya drove from Ladysmith in KwaZulu-Natal to take part in the proceedings.
“We need to try to look beyond our problematic shared history in this country, even if it means we should sometimes grab a bucket and a spade together, bend down and fill some potholes,” Sibiya told the Sunday Times.
“We are not here as different organisations. We are here as people of God. When the government cannot reach something, it is our duty to try to extend their reach.
“I was not without experience when we started tonight. Johan took me out earlier this afternoon and showed me how to do it.”
Sibiya and the Betereinders have been working together to provide mutual support.
“You might say we are like family. Betereinders supports me in some of my Ladysmith projects and I support them where I can. Johan even supplied all the building materials when we built a house for one of the members of my community.”
He sees a future of co-operation in the non-government space.
“I came here to learn and observe as well as fix potholes. I wanted to see how Betereinders mobilise their crowd, and I am very impressed with how smooth it is. We learn here that we should not sit on our hands and wait for government to do something that is in our reach. We must use our God-given gifts and talents to better our nation,” Sibiya said.
Erasmus agreed: “Hundreds of potholes will be fixed within a few hours. I am proud of everybody who came out. We put the call to arms out to churches and the community because we needed holy people to make the streets of Pretoria unholy. To go from gatvol to gat-vol using Gatvol.”
He says Pretoria citizens will easily recognise the potholes filled with Gatvol. “First, our fixed potholes will stay fixed for longer. Second, because we stencilled each of them in yellow with BE1 (Be One) because that is our dream for SA. If we want to succeed as a nation, we need to learn to be as one,” Erasmus said.
They use Gatvol, a product designed specifically for them. “The binder in the gravel and tar mix is the key to Gatvol’s success. I started using Gatvol about five years ago and those potholes are still fixed. It is such a lovely feeling driving over filled-up potholes that you fixed yourself,” Erasmus said.
They want to be seen as hope merchants. “In SA we place a disproportionate onus on the Springboks to give us hope. While it is a wonderful feeling when the Boks win World Cups, the problem is that we will only experience that feeling every four years. We need to find ways of keeping the hope alive for the rest of the time between tournaments.”
Their project also has a township empowerment aspect.
“We set two guys up from Randfontein (in Gauteng) to make the mix. They now have a vibrant little business with potential for growth.”
De Wet said he is proud to be part of the Betereinders movement.
“We — our congregation — are almost like partners of Betereinders and take part in all their events where possible. A favourite last year was when we took people from Oosterlig congregation and a Thembisa congregation to watch soccer in Soweto and then returned to watch the Blue Bulls play at Loftus.”
He believes in making a difference. “People can moan and groan and keep telling each other how gatvol they are, or they can join us and help fill the potholes. Let’s make gatvol a positive thing,” De Wet said.