The roads also compromise the ability of emergency services to carry out their tasks during medical emergencies,” says Cllr Dady Mollo, DA Constituency Head: Emfuleni Central, and Shadow MMC for Public Works.

“If these potholes are not attended to timeously it risks permanent damages to the road surface, which will require bigger capital to address. For those responsible for the truck fleets that keep goods moving in, out and around Emfuleni, the state of our roads is an important factor that can impact both profitability and productivity.

“The current state of the roads poses a risk to the local economy as it may lead to businesses pulling out of the area or deter those who want to invest there. Should these challenges not be addressed Emfuleni Local Municipality will continue to face the destruction of its economy which will lead to even greater unemployment and poverty in the area,” says Mollo.

The DA has launched a petition calling on Emfuleni Municipality to conduct a full-scale audit of the state of roads and for the municipality to make a provision to upgrade and ensure that the much-needed maintenance takes place. Residents can sign the petition here.

Mollo says the DA will use every avenue available to apply pressure on ELM and hold the governing party and its coalition partners accountable to recognise the importance of improving the road infrastructure.