Khayelitsha resident Eugene Cloete voluntarily repairs potholes

Eugene Cloete spends five hours every afternoon filling potholes on Swartklip Road in Khayelitsha to assist motorists and prevent accidents. Cloete performs this voluntary work by collecting stones in buckets and shoveling them into holes to level the surface before peak traffic hours.

The potholes are reportedly caused by overflowing sewage from a pump station. Community leader Donavan Koopman noted that the City of Cape Town has not maintained the road for months, and the lack of working streetlights and damaged warning signs further endangers drivers. The City of Cape Town has attributed the infrastructure issues to illegal electricity connections and repeated vandalism at the pump station.

Cloete, who supports his family by collecting recyclables in the mornings, stated he performs the work ‘out of the kindness of my heart’ and does not expect payment, though motorists occasionally offer small amounts of change or food in gratitude.