More than 1 000 potholes to be fixed in east amid growing frustration

The Tshwane metro says it is working to address about 1 104 potholes reported in the east of Pretoria.

Spokesperson Lindela Mashigo said the road maintenance teams were working to address potholes, however, no timeline could be provided for when their work would be completed.

“Resources in the section of the road department in Pretoria east have been severely affected by more than 50% reduction in human resources due to natural attrition and Covid-19,” Mashigo said.

Other factors include a moratorium on the filling of vacancies due to the city’s financial recovery plan and the protracted strike during the previous financial year.

“Each of Tshwane’s seven regions has its own set of resources, which are prioritised for daily complaints.

Streets that are most affected are repaired or maintained according to the level of danger presented.”

He said the metro has repaired 1 551 potholes since last year and has a backlog of 686 reported potholes.

Residents speaking to Rekord raised their frustration about the numerous potholes plaguing their daily routes, while councillors also relayed their grievances regarding the poor condition of the roads and delay in repairs.

Diane Goodman, a resident of Groenkloof, had a particularly harrowing experience when she got a puncture while driving on a December night.

“I didn’t see the pothole because there are no streetlights,” she said.

According to Goodman, it cost her R3 000 to replace the tyre.

She said she also lost the tyre sensor, which cost another R1 000 to replace.

“I filled out a claim form and submitted it to the metro offices, but I have not yet received any compensation.”

Equestria resident Lerato Mthombeni said she had observed that the number of potholes in her area of stay had increased significantly.

She said this could be due to the recent heavy rains.

“I’ve recently noticed several potholes in my area, especially during [my drive on] school drop-offs.”

Ward 85 councillor Jacqueline Uys said the current state of the roads is the worst she’s seen since taking office in 2016.

“There’s no doubt that the rain has contributed to the problem, but we haven’t seen any significant filling of potholes in months, even before the heavy rains started,” Uys said.

She said residents came together to report every pothole and escalated the issue to the metro for action, however, there is a lack of response from the metro.

Ward 83 councillor Siobhan Muller said the potholes were causing hazardous driving conditions, especially when it rains.

“The water on the road hides the potholes, making it difficult for drivers to see them,” said Muller.

She said large potholes like the one on Justice Mahomed Street are a permanent danger to drivers, causing damage to tyres, rims and vehicles.

The lack of streetlights at night makes it even more challenging for drivers to see the potholes.

“At the very least, they need to secure the potholes and fill them with sand,” Muller said.

Ward 56 councillor Shaun Wilkinson said he’s been asking the metro to fill the potholes, but nothing has been done yet.

“In other words, they do come and fill the potholes, but not ours,” Wilkinson said.

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