Kempton Park depot faces tar shortage as potholes worsen

Concerns over the availability of tar for pothole repairs at the Kempton Park Depot have prompted Ward 91 councillor Desmond McKenzie to call for answers from the City of Ekurhuleni.

Kempton Express, together with McKenzie, visited the depot on August 27 to verify concerns that the facility lacked tar for road repairs.

According to information provided to Mckenzie by staff members at the depot, the contractor or supplier responsible for providing the tar had reportedly not been paid, leaving the depot without the material needed for pothole repairs.

Mckenzie said the situation was concerning and questioned how the City could maintain roads effectively if its depot lacked access to basic road-maintenance materials.

ALSO READ: Kempton Park schools plagued by potholes as safety concerns grow

“If this is indeed the case, the City of Ekurhuleni must urgently explain why a basic road-maintenance operation is being hamstrung by what appears to be a failure in the payment and procurement process,” he said.

“The budget has been approved, so where is the service delivery? Residents are repeatedly told that budgets have been approved for service delivery. Yet, the depot responsible for maintaining our roads does not have one of the most basic materials required to repair potholes.”

Mckenzie said the situation raised questions about planning, procurement, financial management and departmental oversight.

He said residents in Norkem Park and Birchleigh North were ultimately bearing the consequences, with potholes continuing to deteriorate and motorists having to manoeuvre around them.

“Potholes continue to grow while residents are forced to drive around them, often onto the wrong side of the road, creating additional safety risks.

ALSO READ: Repairs finally begin on Katakoeroe Street pothole crisis in Birch Acres

“Vehicles are being exposed to damage to tyres, rims, steering and suspension systems,” he said.

The councillor also raised concerns about the way pothole service requests are being handled.

According to McKenzie, residents continue to report potholes and receive reference numbers, but some have subsequently reported that their service requests are marked as closed despite the potholes remaining unrepaired.

ALSO READ: Birch Acres residents fed up with pothole-ridden street

“The department needs to explain how a service request can be considered resolved when the physical problem has not been addressed. Closing a log is not the same as fixing a pothole,” he said.

Mckenzie called on the City to review its process for closing service requests and to ensure that requests are closed only after the required work has been completed and verified.

He said he had repeatedly raised the issues with senior officials, including HOD Lehlohonolo Gomo, Divisional Head Robinson Malaza, Chief Engineer Kgaogelo Khuma and City Manager Kagiso Lerutla.

McKenzie said he had sought clarity on the lack of tar, outstanding road-repair requests and ongoing challenges at the Kempton Park Depot.

He added that delays in receiving substantive responses to his correspondence and requests for information were also a concern.

“Senior management cannot expect frontline staff to deliver services to residents while the depot is not provided with the necessary resources to do the job,” he said.

ALSO READ: Glen Marais residents demand action over pothole-ridden Quinine Street

McKenzie is calling on the relevant senior management to provide clarity on several issues, including why there is no tar at the depot, whether the contractor or supplier has been paid and, if not, why payment has been delayed.

He also wants to know when payment will be made, when tar will become available, how many pothole requests remain outstanding in Norkem Park and Birchleigh North, and how many service requests have been closed without the reported potholes being repaired.

Further questions include who authorises the closure of service requests, what steps are being taken to address the pothole backlog, and when the depot is expected to respond effectively to outstanding road-repair requests.

“Residents deserve more than reference numbers, automated responses and closed logs. They deserve roads that are maintained, potholes that are repaired, and a department that takes responsibility when service delivery fails,” McKenzie said.

“The continued absence of tar is directly affecting the department’s ability to respond to legitimate road-maintenance requests, and residents should not continue to suffer the consequences.

ALSO READ: Kempton Park potholes raise safety concerns near local school

“The department must fix the problem at the depot so that frontline teams can get on with fixing the problems on our streets.”

Kempton Express contacted the City of Ekurhuleni for comment and set a September 7 deadline for a response.
At the time of publication, no feedback had been received.