‘We Can Finally Sleep When It Rains’: Soshanguve Block FF Residents Celebrate Relaunch of R2.7m Road Project
- Mpho Dube
- 37 minutes ago
- 3 min read
By Mpho Dube, Editor-in-Chief
The Azanian | Truth. Fearless. Unfiltered.
AZANIAFROCOMEDIA – The Catalyst of Impact
SOSHANGUVE– “It is done,” declared MMC for Roads and Transport Cllr Tlangi Mogale as she officially relaunched the Soshanguve Block FF Road and Stormwater project on 13 May 2026, ending a three-year wait for residents who have lived with flooded homes, impassable streets and broken promises.
The project, terminated in 2022, is now back on track with construction underway on 1.4km of internal roads and 1.3km of stormwater drainage in Block FF Area 4, Ward 26. For a community that has watched contractors come and go, the sight of yellow machines and City officials on site felt like a turning point.
“This project is a direct response to the long-standing challenge of inadequate roads and stormwater infrastructure in Soshanguve Block FF,” Mogale told residents gathered under a City of Tshwane tent. “The upgrade will bring lasting relief and restore dignity to this community.”
For years, Block FF residents have waded through ankle-deep water to get to work and school when it rains. Elderly residents spoke of sleepless nights during the rainy season, moving furniture and sandbags to keep water out of their homes.
“We have been crying for this road since 2020,” said Mama Sarah Mahlangu, 68, who participated in the ribbon-cutting. “Every rainy season, we pray our shacks don’t flood. Today, I feel like government has finally heard us. When I saw the MMC with us, breaking ground, I knew this time it’s real.”
Thabo Nkosi, 34, a father of two, said the bad roads made it hard to get his children to school and his taxi business had suffered.
“When the road is mud, no one wants to come here. Even ambulances struggle. Now we see real work starting. I believe my children will walk to school on a proper sidewalk soon.”
Local youth leader Lerato Mokoena said the project was about more than concrete.
“We’ve been promised jobs before, but this time they appointed a Community Liaison Officer and 20 local workers already. Our SMMEs are also getting a chance to supply kerbs, manholes, security. This is how you build a township economy.”
Mogale said the project forms part of Tshwane’s broader programme to upgrade township infrastructure and create opportunities for local economic participation. Beyond the 20 workers already on site, the project will open subcontracting opportunities for local SMMEs in security, plant hire, kerbs, manholes and sidewalks.
“We are committed to delivering it on time, within budget, and to the required quality standards,” Mogale said. “This is what service delivery looks like when we listen and act. Block FF deserves roads that work, drainage that protects, and a government that shows up.”
The 1.4km upgrade includes asphalt surfacing, 1.4km of sidewalks, 10 speed humps, 109 road signs and improved stormwater drainage to prevent the flooding that has plagued the area for years.
Mogale led a walkabout with residents and officials before taking up a spade alongside an elderly resident to turn the first sod. The day ended with a ribbon-cutting ceremony under the City of Tshwane tent, with ululations and applause from elders who said they had “almost given up hope.”
“This is not just a road,” said Gogo Nomvula Dlamini, 71. “This is dignity. When the MMC stands with us, works with us, we know we are not forgotten.”
The project is part of Tshwane’s drive under A City that works for all its people to close the infrastructure gap in historically underserved areas.
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