Renthia Kaimbi
Former Walvis Bay local authority councillor Ryan Gordon has taken it upon himself to organise pothole repairs in Narraville.
Gordon, who lives in Narraville, told Observer Coastal that he started the initiative after seeing no response from pothole repair teams contracted by the Walvis Bay Municipality.
He also criticised the quality and durability of repair work done in other parts of town.
“It’s a lot of money that they got paid, and you’ll see that they are busy in the street, then off to another, but within a month, you’ll see potholes pop up again where they already worked,” Gordon stated.
He said repair teams were active in Kuisebmund, the town centre and Long Beach, but no work had started in Narraville.
Gordon said he decided to act after realising the area was being overlooked. He approached jobseekers at street corners and offered them daily wages to begin repairs, which he initially paid for himself.
The effort soon grew into a community-driven project.
“While on the job, community members started offering materials like tar, stones and cement as donations,” Gordon said.
“Then we started patching up the roads, especially the ones with bigger potholes, just so cars can drive easily.”
The team also repaired the bridge area between Narraville and Kuisebmund, which Gordon described as a danger spot where drivers often swerve to avoid damage.
He said work stopped only when materials ran out, after a large number of potholes had already been fixed.
Gordon said the project helped reduce accidents and vehicle damage while also giving young jobseekers a source of income.
“These guys need toiletries and other necessities as well, and this helped them a lot. Taxi drivers would stop and thank the guys, and some would give them cold drinks or even money. One guy gave them meat… Our community is really awesome,” he said.
The initiative has since attracted interest from other areas. Gordon said residents from different neighbourhoods have contacted him and offered to buy materials so his team can repair their streets.
He said more donation pledges have also come in.
Looking back at his time as a councillor, Gordon said delays in road repairs were often caused by council bureaucracy.
“But I feel, somehow, we failed the community, and I’m not ashamed to say it… We failed as councillors; we failed the community,” he said.
He called on the current council to work closely with communities to address local needs.
“This is the attitude we want from our community, and this makes us want to do more,” Gordon said.
