Meet the man who fills in potholes in Khayelitsha every afternoon

Eugene Cloete spends every afternoon smoothing out a potholed section of Khayelitsha’s Swartklip Road. He says he does not expect payment for his labours. Photos: Vincent Lali

• Eugene Cloete spends every afternoon collecting stones and filling potholes on Khayelitsha’s Swartklip Road to help motorists avoid accidents and congestion.
• Overflowing sewage from a vandalised pump station causes potholes to constantly form.
• The City of Cape Town says illegal electricity connections and repeated acts of vandalism are the root cause.
• A combination of sewage on the road, a lack of streetlights and a damaged pothole warning sign makes the road a danger to motorists especially at night.

Eugene Cloete spends his afternoons fixing potholes on Swartklip Road, Khayelitsha, that form constantly because of an overflowing sewage pump station.

Every day he leaves his shack at 1pm to collect stones. He carries them in buckets to the road and then shovels them into the potholes and levels the surface before peak hour traffic. He returns home at 6pm.

He says he does not expect payment.

“I do the job out of the kindness of my heart,” says Cloete. “I feel bad when I haven’t worked on the road because it means I have not helped the motorists.”

He says he needs better equipment – a spade, safety boots, rake and a wheelbarrow.

Drivers often hoot to show their gratitude or hand him R2 or R5.

“One driver brought me ten loaves of bread, and I shared it with other poor families in my area,” he says.

In the mornings, Cloete collects recyclables he sells in Khayelitsha to support his wife and two kids.

Drivers sometimes give Eugene Cloete small change – R2 or R5 – to thank him for his efforts to fix the road.

Community leader Donavan Koopman says gushing sewage from the pump station causes the potholes. He says the City of Cape Town used to maintain the road but has not done so for months.

“The pothole was so big that we as residents resorted to patching it up ourselves,” he says.

“Previously, motorists would crowd onto one side of the road to avoid the holes, causing massive traffic congestion.”

Koopman says a truck damaged a pothole warning sign and it was never replaced. Streetlights have not worked for eight years.

“When it’s dark, drivers don’t see the sewage water and potholes,” he says.

“If it were not for Cloete’s voluntary work,” he says, “we would have seen more accidents on this road.”

“He is doing the City’s job. The City should hire him because he already shows passion and enthusiasm,” he says.

Last year, Vosho residents protested about the road and sewage spill. In a subsequent protest, after the City removed illegal electricity connections at the pump station, the station was damaged. Residents blocked the City from repairing it, demanding they be allowed to keep their illegal connections.

But Koopman says the community has changed its stance. “We are now willing to let the City fix the station to resolve the sewage overflow. We already allowed them to fix it here and there,’” he says.

Mayco member for urban mobility Rob Quintas said roads must be be free of stagnant water in order to be fixed. He said residents are advised not to fill potholes themselves although it might seem like a good gesture. “There are many risks associated with such activities … if not done properly,” he said.

He said damaged or missing road signs will be replaced.

Regarding hiring Cloete, he said, “The City must follow procedure with hiring processes and residents must use dedicated channels to apply for vacant positions.”

Mayco member for water and sanitation Zahid Badroodien said, “The root cause of this issue is the constant vandalism of the sewer pump station … The only way the road condition will be able to improve is if the City and the community work together to ensure the continued functioning of the sewer pump station, without illegal connections and other disruptions.”

“If the community stops making illegal connections, the overflows will stop.”

Mayco member for energy Xanthea Limberg said the City will not replace the streetlights “at this time” due to repeated vandalism.

“The City is actively piloting the effectiveness of anti-vandalism technologies precisely for these scenarios” and “will revise its approach after carefully assessing all feasible options,” she said.

Eugene Cloete and his family.

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