An accident involving a pregnant woman on Springs Road in Witpoort has raised concerns about the condition of the road and the City of Ekurhuleni’s response to repeated reports of the large pothole along this route.

When travelling from Springs and just before the subway, several potholes have remained unrepaired for months.

On August 19, a pregnant woman was involved in an accident after allegedly hitting the largest of the potholes, situated near the entrance to Morlean Trading.

The business owner witnessed the incident. The same day, the large pothole, which has reportedly been repeatedly reported to the city since May, was filled with tar.

“Why did someone almost have to lose their life before the city did something? Why did they not fix the other potholes just down the same road, which is going to cause the next serious accident?” asked Jacques Botha, the owner of Morlean Trading, who witnessed the accident.

According to Botha, the other potholes could cause a far more serious accident as the area they’re forming is over a low bridge next to a spring and a large tree.

In addition to the delays in repairing the large pothole, there is also concern that the repair work was shoddy, with the tar used to fill the hole already sinking and pulling away from the edges.

The large pothole is suspected to have been caused by a water or sewage leak from higher up the road, closer to Rand Collieries.

In contrast, the other potholes over the low bridge are believed to have been caused by the road flooding during the wet season earlier in the year.

Botha recalls that since he started his business in the area in the 1970s, he has kept his side of the spring clean and flowing, with a dam built to reduce flooding during heavy rain, while the onus of cleaning the drainage pipe and surroundings under and beside the road falls on the municipality.

He remembers them clearing the area every rainy season for decades, but lately no such work has been done, causing the road to flood and, as a result, deep potholes to form.

The City of Ekurhuleni was approached for comment on August 24, asking:

• When will the larger pothole be more appropriately repaired?
• When will the other potholes along the road receive attention?
• When will the drainage pipe under the low bridge be cleaned out?
• What was the reason for the delay in repairing the larger pothole until after an accident occurred?

At the time of publication, no response had been received.