Streets across the City of Mbombela (CoM) are plunged into darkness at night, forcing motorists to dodge dangerous potholes on unlit roads.

The community at large is gatvol with potholes and streetlights that rely on ‘quick fixes’ instead of permanent repairs and consistent maintenance.

In 2025, the CoM embarked on a Service Delivery Drive to repair streetlights, fix potholes, and enforce municipal by-laws.

According to residents, many of these repairs lasted only a few months.

Mbombela, Barberton, Hazyview, White River, and surrounding areas were included in the program, but the improvements have been short-lived and the situation has quickly returned to its previous state.

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Regional breakdowns:

• Mbombela: Most streetlights are out of order; nearly every street has lights that are non-functional. This includes busy thoroughfares such as the R40, Dr Enos Mabuza Drive, and Ferreira Street. Conversely, in some areas where lights do work, they remain on day and night. Potholes remain a chronic issue; while some are attended to, the ageing road surfaces mean repairs rarely last.

• White River: Potholes remain a major concern, with residents complaining that poor-quality patches wear out within weeks. On a positive note, streetlights have been receiving attention since the beginning of February, and residents are hopeful the fixes will hold.

• Barberton: The situation is worsening daily. Residents claim maintenance is non-existent, specifically at the town’s entrance and within residential areas. Many feel abandoned by the CoM since the municipalities merged. Most streetlights are broken and remain unmaintained, despite long-standing pleas for help.

• Hazyview: Only four streetlights are functional on the R40 from De Rust to town. On the R536 towards Paul Kruger Gate, the lights have reportedly never worked since their installation three years ago. Despite CoM’s promises in January 2025 that the lights would be operational within a month, they remain dark till this day. 

Potholes at the two busy intersections between the R40 and Portia Shabangu Drive have worsened following recent rains; they were recently filled with soil, which quickly washes away or shifts under traffic.

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CoM spokesperson Joseph Ngala said that the municipality is aware of the challenges and is attending to them.

“I can confirm that our teams have been patching potholes for the past two weeks since the rain stopped. Potholes at Koraalboom Avenue have been fixed. Johanna Drive is a different story, but the City is currently procuring service providers to do major rehabilitation work on that road. Patching it continuously is not the best solution,” he said.

Regarding the streetlights, Ngala noted that cable theft is a primary cause of outages.

“In Johanna Drive and The Rest Road, cables were stolen and are in the process of being replaced. In Ferreira Street, we are busy with a solar streetlight project. At Dr Enos Mabuza Drive, streetlights were not reinstalled after project completion, but we are attending to those that are off. In Percy Fitzpatrick Drive, more than half are now working.”

Ngala concluded by encouraging residents to report issues: “We are going to attend to more affected areas this week. We encourage people to report them to their ward councillor or contact customer care at 013 759 9301 (ext 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, and 8) or email customercare@mbombela.gov.za.”