The Roads Are Getting Worse
The photograph above is roadworks from a burst water pipe that happened over 18 months ago and as you can see the job has never been completed. Someone stuck a traffic cone in the biggest part of the hole so we all avoid it and don't make the hole any bigger. This when it rains becomes a slightly bigger problem and the house close by fills the hole in each time and now no one drives over this area.
This by all accounts is a failed country where nothing ever seems to work. Even the potholes that are repaired only last a month or two if there is no rain and reappear due to the quality of workmanship so once they appear they are basically a constant.
On Saturday I had a good feel story that I thought I should share as not everyone is a bad apple and there are good people around. I had driven to the butchery on Saturday afternoon only to come out after shopping to find both of the cars back tires flat. Kind of screwed as there is only 1 spare tire and being a Saturday afternoon close to closing time I needed some help.
I drove the car up the road to the closest service station where I asked if they had any ideas. They have puncture repair kits on hand which I had no idea was a side hustle and apparently most service stations have someone who can do this.
The one tire had 2 nails and the other had what looked like a bolt, but still had managed to puncture the tire. The guy never took the tire off the car and pumped air into the tire and just wet the tire to see where the leaks were whilst the car was parked. He then took a screw driver to make the holes bigger and with another tool inserted what looked like a long piece of sticky rubber. This he did for all 3 holes and within less than 10 minutes the tires had been repaired.
This is what he used and it cost him R10 (15 sticks for R48) to make R400 so he has a good side hustle.
I am not going to trust it for a long road trip, but it did the job and the tires are just fine holding air. The cost was R90 per repair so R270 or roughly $15 so I gave him R400 ($22) because he deserved it and saved me the hassles if he was not around. A job well done should be rewarded. I was blown away by the friendliness and speed of the fix which I have never seen this type of puncture fix before and it works so well and is really quick. Obviously if the tire wall is damaged then you have no choice, but to change the tire.
The roads are so bad here these days and far worse than 5 years ago when we thought they were bad as they are next level bad now. You have to know where the pot holes are or you will burst a tire or damage the suspension. I know where they are having driven these roads locally and you often see cars pulled over having done some damage driving through one of them.
I still cannot believe it has been 18 months and no one has finished repairing our road. Maybe it has been left as everyone expects the repaired water pipe to leak again which is often the case.
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This is exactly what's wrong with infrastructure, start a job and just abandon it. At least there are still decent people willing to help when you're stuck, gives you a bit of hope.
Here in our city, if a road is dug up to lay a pipe, two or three years pass before it is installed. This is the system that is running in our city here.
Quite odd that two tires were punctured at the same time. Do you think it was just a coincidence? Unfortunately, I have lived in places where people would intentionally put nails into tires of cars or bikes parked outside. Sometimes I suspect it might even be the local repair shops doing it to drum up some extra business. Glad you were able to get them repaired quickly and for a reasonable price.
It did cross my mind if it was intentional but it was parked outside in full view so the chances are this happened driving to the shop and just very unlucky I guess. I have had my tires slashed at a traffic light before and that was really bad because of where it happened.
Damn, slashed tires at a traffic light is no joke. Were you able to drive off to a safer area or did you have to deal with the tire locally? I grew up near a big city, and there are some areas where we don't even stop at red lights at night. There are often people waiting around to car jack, usually by trying to block you in with another car, but also sometimes they will slash the tires.
Most traffic lights at night we drive straight through and treat it as a 4 way stop. I was in Soweto when my tyres were slashed and managed to drive a decent distance to get help. This was broad daylight and people saw it happening. I was the only white guy in a black area so it was intentional and a hate crime. Being vigilant keeps you on your toes and I nearly drove over an attempted hijacker, but I missed whilst driving in reverse.
Damn, what an intense experience. I'd imagine you might be painted as the bad guy in that situation if you had run over the guy too. I'm surprised more people aren't getting run over these days with all of the rioting that is taking place and people swarming around cars.
They just become speed bumps and need to learn. This guy who was approaching my vehicle was spotted in my side mirror and why you pay attention. He was about 5 meters away and it was so close for him and myself.
Good thing you were aware of your surroundings, as this is definitely a situation where it pays to be present.
That's an economy for the corrupt. They intentionally do this so that they can allocate a small budget every year and milk public funds at the detriment of public safety.
Indeed, it was quick, but I find the repair costs a bit expensive. But it all depends on circumstances and time.
Yes it is all about corruption as the problem is never fixed so money is always flowing.
I don't envy you honestly. My city has good roads and most of Transylvania as well, so we don't face these challenges, but it wasn't like this all the time. The sad part is that I see no chance for things to improve in your country.
Yes it is not great news when we start to look around. I hate being negative all the time, but you just cannot when faced with this stuff daily.
Oh my gosh. This is SO relatable. We have two nails in our back tyres, one in each, and most of the garages around our home do this type of repair, but it's cash only and I suspect, as you say, it's a little side hustle for them. I do know that some of these guys definitely take advantage. Especially of women drivers. I caught the garage out near my mom's place a few years ago, because they showed me the same nail twice in one month!! I think they punctured it themselves on purpose! Sometimes, there has actually been no puncture at all. It's all just an act! Always get a second and third opinion!
When I was still driving my BMW, I caught the guys out at a BP garage, trying to sell me oil. I think they make commission off it. Keep in mind my BMW had just undergone a major overhaul and service. The dip stick they showed me wasn't even mine and was covered in the most awful grimy oil! Shocking and saddening.
However, as you say, there are some good souls out there because so often, I have been pushed out of the road and to safety, sometimes all the way to the garage, when I have run out of petrol or had battery issues.
As for the potholes, Flamingo Vlei, where we stay, is basically built on a swamp, so we suffer terribly with potholes and massive sinkholes in the winter. My little Chevy spark got caught in one a few years ago! I was in such a hurry and it honestly just looked like a puddle. Luckily the neighborhood watch responded really quickly and towed me out with pretty much zero damage to my car, which is surprising because the entire rear if the car was stuck. In the same winter, a couple of roads down, there was a sinkhole o big, a whole taxi got stuck! Luckily they got the people out, but it almost sank like the Titanic! I am so paranoid now though! Even with the Ford Eco sport, which is a much bigger car with far more power, I prefer to play it safe and drive around anything that even vaguely looks like a pothole!
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It's a sad situation indeed! And when you mentioned your tyres, my first thought was about crime as this is one way they force people to pull over and rob them (as I'm sure you know). Thank goodness this wasn't the case. And what a welcome experience to find such a helpful and friendly guy! Good things still happen! Thanks for sharing this with us!
Yes the situation here is not great and when you travel it hits home how bad it is.