There’s a bumpy road ahead for Newcastle’s streets.
With potholes, rutting and breakage in abundance, it remains to be seen how the municipality will resolve its challenges with regard to road maintenance and repair.
As it stands, the municipality fills in potholes on an ad hoc basis.
In a previous response from municipal officials, it was called a challenge to identify every pothole in Newcastle, Madadeni and oSizweni.
Thus input from consumers and councillors remained key.
However, Democratic Alliance councillor, Bertie Meiring has since accused the municipality of turning a blind eye to the issue of potholes.
“Potholes have become a norm and are scattered all over the place.”
In a motion to local council in December 2016, Cllr Meiring stated there was insufficient maintenance of roads which resulted in further damage as well as additional expenditure.
He moved that council resolve to have the matter urgently addressed.
Cllr Meiring said by not attending to potholes and cracks, it allowed for knock-on problems such as sub-surface damage by water flow, higher costs, vehicle damage and municipal economic loss.
“As an opposition party, the DA holds the ruling party accountable for the non-delivering of services and unnecessary expenditure should be managed and dealt with in a responsible manner, as the taxpayers’ money is involved.”
Cllr Meiring said ageing infrastructure and lack of maintenance budget was a serious concern, and he could not foresee how challenges such as potholes, sewage spillage and non-functioning streetlights would be dealt with.
He also noted the effect of insufficient municipal staff complements.
Many times, he stated, residents had to report the same problem repeatedly due to the root cause not being resolved.
“Good examples of this are in Gemsbok Street and on the Memel Road.”
In the DA’s comments on the Budget, councillors raised concerns over the reduction in maintenance and repair budgeting to 2.5 per cent.
Cllr Meiring said this would have huge implications in future.
“This means the municipality won’t render the necessary services and that maintenance is neglected.”
Cllr Meiring committed himself to putting pressure on local leadership to repair roads, ‘instead of using public funds on unnecessary and useless expenditures’.
He said the Government could simply not over-promise and under-deliver.
Four questions were sent to the municipality through its Communications Unit, and to date, no response has been given.
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