Potholes

 It is not yet four o'clock in the afternoon but it is already dusk. The lights of my small, red rental car pierce through the darkness that soon falls. The windscreen wipers try in vain to wipe away the volume of water that falls. I am driving on Nelson Mandela Avenue, towards Bloemfontein's city centre. I am weary about the potholes I know occur in big quantities and all sizes on this road, but can't see them because of this downpour. The road looks like a river. The white road markings that should indicate the four lanes are no longer visible. They are not even visible in dry weather and bright light. They have faded away years ago.

Bloemfontein on a bright day, seen from Naval Hill

Bloemfontein is the judicial capital of South Africa but it seems a backward, dilapidated place. I was here a few months ago and again I see that the decay has continued. In the inner city, some streets have so many potholes that you'd better drive an SUV to navigate them safely. The pavements are sagging and full of weeds. Where the metal sewer covers have been stolen, there is at best a thick concrete slab. Many pedestrians stumble over those, but that is still better than a manhole without a lid. Unfortunately, there are those too. There has been a lot of rain this summer. The weeds are high. Lots of rain and more to come this weekend. The weather services predict heavy flooding.

There is rubbish lying around. What a difference with Rwanda! And yet it is less dirty than usual. So they say. The potholes I expect are no longer there. The worst litter has been removed. High level visitors are expected. This weekend, Bloemfontein (or Mangaung) will be placed under the administration of the national government. This is the result of years of misrule. The ANC was founded here, more than 100 years ago, but they have made a mess of things here and in the whole province. As soon as you leave the national highways in this province, you'd better have a car with high suspension. And that's just the condition of the road surface. The service delivery is often of the same quality.

Enough is enough, said someone in the national administration. Putting a city of this size under national administration is no mean feat. That is why the president comes for a visit. Someone apparently thought it important not to let the president immediately experience Bloemfontein as it is. In the past week, some potholes were quickly filled, some rubbish cleared away. But only on the route that the president will take. Keeping up appearances. But I have my safe drive in the pouring rain to thank for it.