Playing The ‘Tar Game’

YOU have probably seen the frenzy of road re-tarring around the city, rather puzzling in the light of the fact the there wasn’t anything much wrong with the roads to begin with; but more understandable if you note that most of the resurfacing work is located near the residences of some well-known politicians.

All this, while many roads on the outskirts and in the informal areas of course remain untarred. Anyway, the interesting thing is that the road workers and tar layers, to while away the time, have devised a new game.The way this works is that the workers cone off the wrong side of the road, and briskly red-flag traffic down the lane into which – splat – your car lands in a Jurassic type pool of liquid tar, peppered with those vicious sharp black stones which blast your paintwork away.Turn round, and you will see the workers doubled up.The guy who bet that the car would see the wet tar and dodge it, pays out.If the afflicted car is a new Merc or Beemer, the tote pays double.After some anguished cursing, you head down to the steam-cleaning place next to Wernhil.Here again, there is an arrangement – the cleaners pay a commission of N$10 to the road tarrers for every splattered car brought in.You also have to get there quickly before the stuff sets, like what it does on the road.Otherwise, you will have a weekend under your pride and joy (your car, I mean) coaxing the stuff off with petrol and possibly turning yourself into a suicide bomb.So, maybe it’s not worth the effort of taking off, because it is basically the same material as what you pay thousands of $ to be sprayed ON as a rust-proofing treatment.Meanwhile, the newly tarred road is a dangerous black expanse with no markings, and scoured by the tyre marks of the cars that ploughed through it when it was a swamp.Much worse than it was before.So I wonder why the municipality bothers.They must be desperate to spend their money on something, I suppose.Tar Baby, Windhoek Note: Real name and address provided – EdAnyway, the interesting thing is that the road workers and tar layers, to while away the time, have devised a new game.The way this works is that the workers cone off the wrong side of the road, and briskly red-flag traffic down the lane into which – splat – your car lands in a Jurassic type pool of liquid tar, peppered with those vicious sharp black stones which blast your paintwork away.Turn round, and you will see the workers doubled up.The guy who bet that the car would see the wet tar and dodge it, pays out.If the afflicted car is a new Merc or Beemer, the tote pays double. After some anguished cursing, you head down to the steam-cleaning place next to Wernhil.Here again, there is an arrangement – the cleaners pay a commission of N$10 to the road tarrers for every splattered car brought in.You also have to get there quickly before the stuff sets, like what it does on the road.Otherwise, you will have a weekend under your pride and joy (your car, I mean) coaxing the stuff off with petrol and possibly turning yourself into a suicide bomb.So, maybe it’s not worth the effort of taking off, because it is basically the same material as what you pay thousands of $ to be sprayed ON as a rust-proofing treatment.Meanwhile, the newly tarred road is a dangerous black expanse with no markings, and scoured by the tyre marks of the cars that ploughed through it when it was a swamp.Much worse than it was before.So I wonder why the municipality bothers.They must be desperate to spend their money on something, I suppose.Tar Baby, Windhoek Note: Real name and address provided – Ed