Dlamini also blamed the recent downpours for the condition of the roads. “It's a matter of common cause that continuous downpours do cause destruction to municipal and private infrastructure. Roads are the biggest victim as potholes develop. We can't really pinpoint where our potholes are, they are scattered in various parts of the region,” he said.
According to Discovery Insure, potholes and deteriorating roads account for a significant portion of vehicle insurance claims in Gauteng. Chief commercial officer Precious Nduli said Discovery Insure data showed that pothole claims account for about 1.5% of all vehicle-related claims.
She said potholes seemed to occur mostly around Sandton, Randburg and Rosebank. “This is generally due to these areas being high-traffic areas with aging infrastructure. In addition, rainfall patterns [including frequent summer storms] exacerbate the pothole issue, and we have seen a strong correlation between the number of reported potholes and rainfall,” she said.
Joburg resident Portia Maja, 35, said she had to change her vehicle tyres twice this month after hitting potholes. She said the first incident happened in Weltervreden Park and the second in Craighall.
“The first time I had to change the affected tyre and put a spare wheel and the second time I was alerted that my tyre was flat after I hit a pothole.
“This has affected my pockets. Money I had saved had to be diverted to fixing the tyres. It has also brought some form of anxiety,” she said.
Recently, Johannesburg Road Agency CEO Zweli Nyathi urged road users to exercise “extreme caution”, saying the rainy weather had led to a surge in potholes. “We are fully aware of the significant increase in potholes that have emerged across the city due to the recent heavy rains,” Nyathi said at the time.
Meanwhile, City of Tshwane spokesperson Lindela Mashigo said potholes had increased. “Most of these potholes are caused by heavy rains. It is difficult to give the exact number of new potholes for the city’s entire road network.”
He said certain roads with a higher-than-normal traffic also suffered recurring potholes, and have become hotspots.
SowetanLIVE
Pay services, so we can fix potholes – municipalities
Emfuleni and Ekurhuleni need R500m each to repair roads damaged by rains
Image: ANTONIO MUCHAVE
Two Gauteng municipalities say they need a combined R1bn to repair their deteriorating roads – but they lack the funds due to widespread nonpayment of services.
The Emfuleni local municipality and the City of Ekurhuleni each estimate they need R500m to restore roads they say have been severely affected by the recent heavy rains.
Emfuleni communications manager Makhosonke Sangweni said over 70% of the 14,700km of local roads need full maintenance to restore them to acceptable standards.
He said the municipality did not have the R500m needed because of problems with revenue collection. “The municipality has been on record regarding service delivery challenges. With limited revenue collection and a culture of nonpayment in the area, Emfuleni local municipality is faced with a highly improbable task of restoring all the roads,” he said.
POTHOLES IN NUMBERS
4,288: The number of potholes reported in the city of Joburg in February. 2,800: The number of pothole complaints Tshwane received from January to date. R500m: The amount of money Emfuleni municipality says they need to fix pothole-riddled roads. City of Ekurhuleni says it needs the same amount too. R3m: The amount of money Tshwane spent since January fixing potholes.
Sangweni said Sharpeville, Vanderbijlpark, Vereeniging, Sebokeng, Evaton and Three Rivers had the most potholes in the municipality. They represent some of the “greatly affected areas, with more potholes developing as the rains continue”.
“As things stand, [Emfuleni] needs half a billion to repair all the damaged road infrastructure. Notwithstanding the challenges we are facing, the municipality continues to do everything in its power to normalise services.”
Ekurhuleni spokesperson Zweli Dlamini said the metro had” pockets of potholes in every town” and that it also needs about R500m to also address the backlog in repairing the roads.
However, some residents don't pay for services that would enable the city to attend to the issue. “When you're talking about infrastructure that needs attention, the payment of services comes in handy because that money makes it a point that we're able to provide quality, sustainable and equitable services to our people. When they pay, they enable us to provide a better service,” he said.
Dlamini also blamed the recent downpours for the condition of the roads. “It's a matter of common cause that continuous downpours do cause destruction to municipal and private infrastructure. Roads are the biggest victim as potholes develop. We can't really pinpoint where our potholes are, they are scattered in various parts of the region,” he said.
According to Discovery Insure, potholes and deteriorating roads account for a significant portion of vehicle insurance claims in Gauteng. Chief commercial officer Precious Nduli said Discovery Insure data showed that pothole claims account for about 1.5% of all vehicle-related claims.
She said potholes seemed to occur mostly around Sandton, Randburg and Rosebank. “This is generally due to these areas being high-traffic areas with aging infrastructure. In addition, rainfall patterns [including frequent summer storms] exacerbate the pothole issue, and we have seen a strong correlation between the number of reported potholes and rainfall,” she said.
Joburg resident Portia Maja, 35, said she had to change her vehicle tyres twice this month after hitting potholes. She said the first incident happened in Weltervreden Park and the second in Craighall.
“The first time I had to change the affected tyre and put a spare wheel and the second time I was alerted that my tyre was flat after I hit a pothole.
“This has affected my pockets. Money I had saved had to be diverted to fixing the tyres. It has also brought some form of anxiety,” she said.
Recently, Johannesburg Road Agency CEO Zweli Nyathi urged road users to exercise “extreme caution”, saying the rainy weather had led to a surge in potholes. “We are fully aware of the significant increase in potholes that have emerged across the city due to the recent heavy rains,” Nyathi said at the time.
Meanwhile, City of Tshwane spokesperson Lindela Mashigo said potholes had increased. “Most of these potholes are caused by heavy rains. It is difficult to give the exact number of new potholes for the city’s entire road network.”
He said certain roads with a higher-than-normal traffic also suffered recurring potholes, and have become hotspots.
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