Residents across Pretoria east have expressed growing frustration with what they describe as inconsistent and substandard pothole repairs, despite repeated complaints and assurances from the Tshwane metro.

The metro confirmed on January 26 that pothole repairs had started on 21st Street and other areas in the east.

However, resident Carina Gauche says poor workmanship and repeated failures continue to damage roads and vehicles.

“I have raised concerns about the quality of the work, pointing to previous repair failures as examples of ongoing issues,” said Gauche.

She explained that one such example is a ditch at the corner of 21st Street and Hazelwood Road, where vehicles turn out of Hazelwood.

Gauche said the ditch formed after the developer had to dig a trench to connect electricity to the nearest power box.

“After sustained pressure from residents, the City of Tshwane repaired the ditch towards the end of 2025, but the workmanship was poor,” said Gauche.

Following additional complaints, the metro returned and repaired the area properly in January.

According to Gauche, potholes in 20th Street have also been a long-standing issue, dating back to October 2025.

She said she reported the potholes along with a request for white lines on speed bumps to be repainted.

“Only the potholes were fixed last week,” she said.

“What is shocking is that they would fix a pothole, and after the first rains, the hole is back, like they cannot fix it once and for all properly.”

She added that repair teams often do only partial work.

“They will fix two potholes and then, 10 metres further, leave the remaining two potholes, doing half a job.”

Another recurring problem is a large pothole at the traffic circle in front of New Hope School, which residents say is repeatedly repaired only to reappear after rainfall.

Gauche also highlighted severe road conditions outside her immediate area, including a large pothole on the corner of Jorrissen and Plein streets in Sunnyside.

She said she reported the issue in October last year and received a reference number, but no action was taken.

“When I returned from December leave, the hole was as big as a dam,” she said.

“After complaining again and getting another reference number, they finally fixed it, but it’s been repaired so many times that it now looks like an anthill. Soon, cars will get stuck on top of the mountain they are building.”

She further described the condition of Jorrissen, Kotze, Visagie, and Es’kia Mphahlele streets as deteriorating, with missing tarmac and potholes forming rapidly.

“It seems like no one gets into a vehicle and actually drives to monitor the roads,” she said.

Resident Michelle Simao expressed frustration, saying that when potholes are repaired, the workmanship is so poor that they return as soon as it rains.

Metro spokesperson Lindela Mashigo said the backlog of potholes had increased due to persistent rainfall damaging the city’s road infrastructure.

However, he confirmed that maintenance teams are addressing the issue. “Repairs commenced on January 23, and the work is in progress,” Mashigo said.

He added that residents are not permitted to carry out repairs without the city’s approval, but noted that the Community Upliftment Precinct (CUP) initiative allows residents to apply for permission to assist with certain maintenance efforts.

At the time of publication, the metro had not responded directly to residents’ concerns regarding the quality and durability of recent pothole repairs.

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