Faizel Patel, Radio Islam News, 2014-03-20

They are a nuisance, causing extensive damage to cars and they are everywhere.  Potholes have mushroomed on the country’s roads and motorists are fed up because some insurance companies refuse to cover damages.

Gauteng roads and transport MEC Ismail Vadi has announced an emergency road maintenance campaign to fix damage caused by recent heavy rain.

Vadi told Radio Islam, despite the heavy rains that lashed Gauteng, the damage to roads was not extensive as in other provinces. “If you look at Limpopo, Mpumalanga, quite a few of the major roads have been washed away.”

“In Gauteng, other than the Joburg municipality and Tshwane, a few municipal roads were washed away. At a provincial level we haven’t had any roads washing away,” said Vadi.

Vadi said that there have been a massive number of potholes, some sink holes emerging and a number of low-lying bridges that have been severely damaged or washed away.

He estimates the cost of damages to roads at about R 15 million outside of what municipalities have calculated.

Vadi’s department hopes its 260-strong maintenance crew will be able to fix the massive number of potholes and some sink holes in the next two to three weeks

“The plan of action is to get the potholes done as soon as possible. We’ve got an emergency team in place, both within the department and we’ve also outsourced to a number of private contractors to help us with the work,” said Vadi.

Vadi also said poor workmanship is partly to blame for the many potholes that developed during recent stormy weather. He singled out one construction company, saying that those found guilty of shoddy work, will face legal action.

One of Gauteng’s major routes, the N14 linking Mogale City and Tshwane carrying more than 25,000 vehicles each day is one of major routes affected by recent storms and floods

“There have also been incidents of poor workmanship on the part of the smaller contractors that we’d outsourced the work to," Vadi said.

Closer to home, Vadi said that Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) has been repairing potholes in and around in Lenasia even though the agency has been under tremendous pressure.

On the issue of Abu Bakr Asvat Drive in Lenasia where barriers have been erected constricting the road, Vadi said that motorists must understand that the road is not for the exclusive use of the driver of a vehicle.

“We are seeing at least a thousand, two thousand people walking from Soweto to Lenz and back, those are pedestrians…There are other road users, pedestrians, people on wheelchairs, on bicycles and we are aggressively promoting non-motorized transport.”

Vadi said barriers would be erected on various other roads, provincial roads including roads in other municipalities.

Vadi said that extensive work is being done on the J142, which is the proposed expansion of Nirvana Drive linking up to the N12 freeway which is along the railway line pass the military base because the Lenasia link road is not meant to be a major exit point.  

“We have received the preliminary report. We are busy doing the environmental impact assessment, so the main exit onto the N12 is likely to be the extension of Nirvana drive onto the N12 near Mosquito Valley.”

Vadi said that if people had an issue with a municipal road, it must be reported to the JRA on their website on www.jra.org.za   or Councilor Zarina Motala.

“At a provincial level we don’t have a website at this stage specifically for potholes so those can be reported to me via SMS on 0825560242; just be specific of which road and where.”

(Twitter: @Faizie143)