In a concerted effort to restore Newcastle’s roadways, two councillors from the Newcastle Municipality are urging the public and business community to join hands with the government entity in tackling the persistent issue of potholes.

Councillor Faizel Cassim and Shailendra (Shandy) Singh have launched an initiative to address the pothole crisis prevalent in the Newcastle Central Business District (CBD) and the local suburbs.
This marks the second pothole focused project initiated in Newcastle within the span of a month. AfriForum Newcastle conducted the first in collaboration with the Newcastle Municipality, Newcastle’s Ward 2 community, and New City Newcastle.
For more details on the initial project, click here.
Reflecting on this latest project, Councillor Cassim pointed out that the Newcastle Municipality was grappling with financial constraints, hindering efforts to rectify the pothole issue. However, despite the financial challenges, Cassim stressed the urgency of taking action. “We cannot wait, as the rainy season is coming and this will impact the condition of the roads even further.”
With this pressing concern in mind, Cassim and Singh have launched an initiative to commence road repairs. On Friday, 15 September 2023, Cllr Singh and Cllr Cassim, accompanied by Municipal officials from the Roads Department, met with a local businessman, Roshan Dheochand of Sizela Transport at the intersection of Scott and Montague streets.
“Mr Dheochand has experience in roadworks and he gave us a demo to showcase the quality of his work. This is to assure the Newcastle Municipality and the public that the quality meets necessary regulations,” highlighted Cassim.
While the quality of work met the required standards and both Cassim and Singh contributed funds from their personal capacities to kickstart the project, Cassim underlined the need for community support to ensure the project’s success.
“We would like to have businesses and the community assist with donations,” said Cassim, who expressed that by the public’s assistance, Newcastle’s roads could be restored. Let’s fix Newcastle together,” he enthused.
Members of the community wishing to assist can contact the following numbers:
- Faizel Cassim on 074 285 1213.
- Roshan Dheochand on 074 960 1723.
With the initiative led by the two councillors urging public support, alongside AfriForum and its partners working towards the common objective, it is evident that Newcastillians are taking matters into their own hands to address this critical issue.
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