Setting the record straight on improving Johannesburg’s road network
13 June 2022
Last week Executive Mayor, Councillor Mpho Phalatse, raised concerns through a statement about a perceived inequity in pothole repairs in the different regions of Johannesburg.
This was done publicly and surprised many who recognised the factual errors in the statement and its coinciding with the roads’ teams having exceeded their targets for the first time in years (repairing 23 298 potholes out of a target of 17 965). In addition to this, the service delivery blitz campaign completed 19 502m² of road patching. This is the equivalent of an additional 78 008 potholes repaired in just four months of A Re Sebetseng – unmatched in past performance of JRA.
As a partner within the multi-party coalition, ActionSA will not be roped into the internal politics of the DA whose past leaders criticised Mayor Phalatse last week for appearing at a planning session rather than repairing potholes. Our focus lies on delivering services.
Measuring relative effort in the different regions based solely on rands spent on pothole repair is both simplistic and politicking with a serious service delivery issue. On its own, pothole repair is a poor measurement of relative effort to improve the road condition of an area. It must be looked at in conjunction with road resurfacing, road reconstruction and stormwater drainage. Each of these interventions have much larger relative budgets because they produce a permanent fix.