The Tshwane metro has stated that ongoing heavy rainfall and worsening road conditions continue to delay pothole repairs across Pretoria east, despite being prioritised and deploying repair teams in affected areas.

Residents in several suburbs have raised concerns about deteriorating roads, particularly in Hazelwood, Menlo Park and surrounding areas, where potholes have reportedly deepened and multiplied over recent weeks.

Ward 82 councillor Siobhan Muller said the situation has reached a critical point, with repeated complaints from residents failing to yield timely repairs.

“Marolena Street in Maroelana, Elandslaagte Street in Hazelwood, the corner of Club and Selati Street, 11th Street in Menlo Park, Mackenzie Street, 13th Street in front of the shops, and the service road behind Menlo Park Spar [are] absolutely terrible,” she said.

Muller added that Rosemary Street near Menlo Park Hoërskool is also severely affected, with potholes making sections of the road difficult and unsafe to navigate.

During her visit to Elandslaagte Street in Hazelwood, she said the area is experiencing a serious pothole problem, with road damage extending continuously along the street from Maroelana up to Dely Road.

“We have reported these potholes time and again. Residents, myself, on email, on WhatsApp, with reference numbers each time. And still, six weeks later, eight weeks later, they still haven’t even filled the potholes.”

She said residents have resorted to filling some of the potholes with gravel in an effort to reduce vehicle damage and improve safety, but the condition of the road continues to worsen.

“I’ve just seen a car having to literally turn onto the other side of the road to get around this double pothole,” Muller said.

She questioned the city’s spending priorities and called for urgent accountability as budget discussions approach.

“So why is the city not repairing potholes in our wards? We have a budget speech that’s coming up. Where is the money to fix these potholes in our wards where our residents are paying rates and taxes?” she asked.

In response, metro spokesperson Lindela Mashigo confirmed that the municipality is aware of the potholes across the listed areas and said all reported cases have been logged and assigned reference numbers.

Mashigo provided a breakdown of the current status of repairs in the affected roads.

He said Elandslaagte Street is 97% complete, with only one pothole remaining, while repairs to the intersection of Selati and Club Street have not yet begun, but the surface has been secured with temporary asphalt.

“Mackenzie Street has already been completed, while Maroelana Street and Rosemary Street have not yet been completed, although repair teams were dispatched on Friday.”

He further confirmed that repairs to 11th Street remain outstanding, while 13th Street behind the Spar requires full resurfacing due to severe deterioration.

According to Mashigo, the road behind Menlo Park Spar was recently inspected and found to have significantly deteriorated due to heavy traffic and truck activity, and has since been escalated for reconstruction or resurfacing.

“The reported service requests have been placed on the priority list for repairs,” he said.

He added that while the metro has a seven-day turnaround target for pothole repairs, ongoing wet weather conditions and continuous rainfall are affecting response times and repair durability.

Mashigo said Pretoria East is serviced by six asphalt repair teams and two jet patching units tasked with addressing pothole-related complaints across the region.

He explained that the city prioritises major arterial routes and high-risk potholes that pose immediate danger to motorists and pedestrians.

Mashigo also noted that long-term solutions, including resurfacing programmes, are implemented where road conditions have deteriorated beyond routine patch repairs

Residents are encouraged to continue reporting potholes via the City of Tshwane Customer Care Centre on 012 358 9999 or via pothole@tshwane.gov.za to assist in improving response times and service delivery.

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