Driving around the city has become a giant game of dodgem cars.
A Blackheath resident has erected a sign that reads “Chips… kak big potholes” along Pasteur Road, seen 28 April 2026 as a vehicle navigates the pothole-damaged road. Picture: Michel Bega/The Citizen
As you move around Johannesburg, you can’t help but notice the many areas where our city’s officials have failed to do their jobs – from traffic and street lights that don’t work to rubbish not being collected and a lack of water in large pockets of the metro.
But it’s the potholes that annoy me the most.
I recently had to replace two tyres on my car after driving through a trench on my way home one night. I guess I should be thankful that it was only tyres that were damaged, because the excavation across the road is likely to lead to a more serious tragedy soon.
More than a month after my tyres were battered, the crater in the road is still there, like a glaring symbol of the massive gaps in service delivery in Joburg.
The problem is widespread. Whether you’re in Sandton or Soweto, it seems like the problem is getting worse every week.
My ire increased when I took a short drive from my house to a nearby park recently and all six roads that I used had potholes on them.
Apart from the aggravation of having your car damaged, the potholes are also a safety issue. You can’t drive around my area without seeing cars swerving into oncoming traffic or suddenly slamming on brakes.
Driving around the city has become a giant game of dodgem cars.
Last week, the City of Joburg attempted to address residents’ growing anger by announcing that it would spend almost R150 million to resurface the city’s roads. That announcement was laughable.
Only days before, City of Joburg transport member of the mayoral committee Kenny Kunene admitted that the Joburg Road Agency’s fleet had been grounded. The city, he said, didn’t have enough money to refuel its vehicles needed to carry out the urgent repairs to the roads.
It seems as if the officials running the City of Gold think its citizens are either stupid or gullible.
With local elections approaching in November, maybe those who are supposed to be running the city will finally realise that residents are important.
Maybe then our roads will start being maintained.
Maybe I’m also clutching onto any piece of optimism I can.
