The war on potholes: what you need to know
Pothole-related damage and rim replacements have more than doubled over the past few years in Gauteng, according to the Tyre, Equipment and Parts Association (Tepa).
'It's officially pothole season thanks to the April rains, and motorists are dodging craters like it's a real-life game of Mario Kart,' said Dylan Petzer, national vice chair of Tepa.
Apart from posing a serious road safety threat, hitting a pothole can lead to expensive car repairs. It's not only tyres that take the hit, and Petzer noted that in about 80% of cases it's the rim that is bent, cracked or wrecked. Rim damage can also impact a car's alignment and suspension, and that's when things go from annoying to expensive.
But what is being done against the scourge of the dreaded wheel-busting holes on our roads?
According to the SA National Roads Agency (Sanral), the Vala Zonke national pothole campaign has made meaningful progress in tackling deteriorating road infrastructure but remains underutilised.
Launched in 2022 by the department of transport and overseen by Sanral, the programme tackles deteriorating road infrastructure. A joint effort by the nine provinces, the campaign aims to standardise and simplify the way potholes are reported by the public and repaired by road authorities through a centralised electronic system and a dedicated Vala Zonke app available on smart phones.
When the project was launched, then-transport minister Fikile Mbalula said the road infrastructure maintenance backlog was estimated to be more than R200bn, and 40% of the provincial network was reported to have reached the end of its life cycle. It's estimated 80% of the national road network is older than its 20-year design life, Mbalula said.
The Vala Zonke app allows road users to report potholes directly from their phones. Each report is geotagged to aid in reduced response and repair times by the Vala Zonke War Room, a centralised operations hub that monitors the reports and ensures each pothole is assigned to the correct road authority for action. There more than 250 road authorities in SA.
Despite the successful launch of the Vala Zonke app, it remains underutilised, according to a Sanral spokesperson.
'This limits the war room's ability to maintain full oversight of reported potholes. To date, 120,123 potholes have been officially logged through the app, a number that likely represents only a fraction of the actual potholes on roads due to limited app engagement. A large number of potholes remain unreported in the poorer residential areas due to lack of access to data to report.'
The gap in reporting highlights the importance of greater participation from the public and road authorities, both in using the app and in integrating other reporting systems into the Vala Zonke platform.
'Encouragingly, provincial authorities have repaired more than four million square meters of paved road surfaces, showing clear commitment to addressing the crisis. However, accurate data remains critical for prioritising repairs, allocating resources efficiently,and holding stakeholders accountable. We urge citizens and municipalities to make full use of the Vala Zonke app so every pothole can be tracked, reported and repaired,' he said.
A challenge hindering the programme's full potential is the lack of training among some road authorities in using the secure systems provided to report back to the war room.
'In many cases, repairs are being completed on the ground, but the status updates are not submitted through the correct channels, leading to data gaps and an incomplete national picture.'
Additional obstacles include inadequate funding and the lack of skills, leading to poor workmanship. The latter often results from inadequate preparation of potholes before filling, and such shortcuts can lead to premature failure of repairs which undermines road safety and wasting valuable resources, said Sanral.
Sanral is advocating the use of nanotechnology to strengthen road surfaces and extend their lifespan at reduced road repair costs. It has developed a standard named TRH24 and is providing training to road authorities across the country.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
TimesLIVE
26-05-2025
- TimesLIVE
Why not 10 stops? Verstappen slams failed Monaco experiment
Formula One champion Max Verstappen ladled out a serving of sarcasm on Sunday when he declared Monaco's mandatory two-stop experiment a flop. The decision to force drivers to use three sets of tyres was taken in a bid to liven up a race famed for being processional and lacking overtaking. Spectators who saw any passing were probably hallucinating, with the top four finishing in their starting positions and the main tension provided by the hope of a safety car that never appeared. "Very exciting. I was on the edge of my seat every lap. It was fantastic," Verstappen, who finished fourth, told reporters without expecting anyone to take his words seriously. "Maybe next year four stops. I could have done four stops today and finished P4." Speaking to Sky Sports television, Red Bull's four-times world champion went further. "You can't race here. It doesn't matter what you do. One stop, 10 stops," he said. "Nowadays with an F1 car, you can pass an F2 car around here. I get it but I don't think it's worked. We were almost doing Mario Kart. Then we have to install bits on the car and maybe you can throw bananas around. Slippery surface." Other drivers echoed the Dutch driver's sentiments. "The two-stop clearly did not work at all," said Mercedes' George Russell. McLaren's race winner Lando Norris gave a two-word answer when asked for his thoughts: "Hated it." That said, he said overtaking had always been difficult in Monaco and did not understand why people expected anything different. "I also think Formula One should not turn into only a show to entertain people. It's a sport. It's who can race the best, who can qualify the best," he said. "The last thing I want is manufactured racing, and I think we definitely need to stay away from that and do a better job with cars, with tyres. Then you might start to see more racing, but not by introducing so many pit stops." Those in the lower points-paying positions saw it in the same way. "I don't know about the front but in the midfield it backfired. I'm happy for everyone to try things. We tried it, for me it didn't work," said Williams' Carlos Sainz, who finished 10th after he and teammate Alex Albon manipulated their pace to secure an advantage. "It is not the way I like to race or how I dream about racing around Monaco." Supporters of the change could point to a greater uncertainty through the race, with added jeopardy and the ever-present risk of a safety car, and different strategies playing out. "Even if this was a zero-stop race, it's a mega venue," said Mercedes boss Toto Wolff of a street circuit dripping with history and that harks back to the sport's earliest days.
The Citizen
19-05-2025
- The Citizen
SANRAL denies fake message on new speed limits and warns of misinformation
SANRAL denies fake message on new speed limits and warns of misinformation The South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited (SANRAL) has firmly denied involvement in a widely circulated message falsely claiming it will implement stricter speed limits on South Africa's national road network from 1 July. The viral communique, designed to look official, claims SANRAL is introducing sweeping changes to speed limits across urban, rural, and highway roads under the so-called 'SANRAL Highway Law.' However, SANRAL has dismissed the message as fake and misleading. 'SANRAL has a distinct mandate to manage the country's national road network. 'This mandate encompasses the financing, planning, development, improvement, maintenance, and rehabilitation of the national roads, as prescribed by the SANRAL Act of 1998,' said Vusi Mona, SANRAL's general manager for communication and marketing. ALSO READ: Germiston roadworks project tackles poor conditions 'The SANRAL mandate does not include any enforcement rights—be that related to speed, safety, or security.' According to the false document, new speed limits were to include: Urban roads reduced from 60 km/h to 50 km/h Rural roads adjusted from 100 km/h to 80 km/h Highways capped at 110 km/h (down from 120 km/h) Heavy vehicles restricted to 90 km/h on all roads School zones set to a strict 30 km/h during school hours Mona warned the public not to be misled by unofficial sources and urged vigilance when receiving road-related updates. 'We encourage members of the public to contact SANRAL's hotline at 0800 204 508 or email sanral@ if they come across suspicious information,' he said. 'Journalists and newsrooms are welcome to verify facts with our press office via pressoffice@ At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
IOL News
16-05-2025
- IOL News
SA's pothole crisis made worse by poor repairs
It's not only the need to repair potholes that is are making South Africa's roads so dangerous, but when they are not repaired properly. Image: Supplied South Africa's road infrastructure, spanning about 750 000 km and ranking as the tenth-longest road network globally, currently battles a significant pothole crisis exacerbated by inadequate workmanship. The issue undermines road safety and imposes a heavy financial burden on taxpayers, motorists, and the government. The South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) is currently managing about 21 403 km of paved roads, provinces manage about 204 830 km of paved and unpaved roads, and municipalities manage roughly 292 207km of paved and unpaved roads. Pothole repairs are estimated to cost between R700 and R1 500 per square metre, based on Transport Department data. In 2022, the government launched Operation Vala Zonke, aimed at eliminating potholes, spearheaded by the Transport Department and implemented by Sanral. The programme is facilitated through the freely available Vala Zonke mobile app, which can be used to report and geotag potholes around the country. Teams can then be dispatched for repairs. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ A Pinetown resident, who would not be named, said motorists have fallen victim to recurring potholes on a stretch of the M19, between Pinetown and New Germany, for the past three years. 'The area has been repaired so many times; most times, they just put gravel (crushed stone with sand) and call it a day. Then, when it rains, it's back to square one.' She called for that portion of the road to be redone R102 Umbilo off-ramp that branches off from the M7 has been repaired several times over recent years. Each time a fraction of the potholes is left open, increasing the surface that needs to be repaired. Residents have called for better monitoring of repairs. Sanral highlighted poor workmanship identified through the Vala Zonke initiative, often resulting from inadequate preparation of potholes before filling. Such shortcuts can lead to premature failure of repairs, undermining road safety and wasting resources. 'The lack of monitoring and testing by the road authorities allows contractors to produce substandard work. This requires competent people to be part of the team monitoring the performance of the contractors,' said Sanral spokesperson Lwando Mahlasela. He said the app includes built-in data monitoring features, which allow authorities to assess the quality of repair efforts and identify recurring issues, many of which can be linked to workmanship. However, the app remains under-utilised, limiting oversight of reported potholes. 'To date, 120 123 potholes have been officially logged through the app, a number that likely represents only a fraction of the actual potholes on South Africa's roads due to limited app engagement. A large number of potholes remain unreported in the poorer residential areas due to lack of access to data to report,' he said. 'Encouragingly, provincial authorities have repaired over four million square metres of paved road surfaces, showing clear commitment to addressing the crisis. However, accurate data remains critical for prioritising repairs, allocating resources efficiently, and holding stakeholders accountable,' said Mahlasela. In many cases, repairs are completed but status updates are not submitted through the correct channels, leading to data gaps and an incomplete national obstacles include limited digital literacy among officials, fear of transitioning to new systems, insufficient accountability at certain levels, and constraints in slow down reporting, tracking, and performance evaluation, affecting the speed and quality of pothole repairs. 'In addition to improved reporting systems, Sanral is advocating the use of nanotechnology to strengthen road surfaces and extend their lifespan at reduced road repair costs, offering a smarter, more sustainable approach to road maintenance,' Mahlasela said. Last month, KZN Transport MEC Siboniso Duma launched the War on Potholes Campaign with a R216 million budget to tackle the backlog of 3.12 million m² of potholes. The department has procured 55 trucks at a cost of R103 million, with 25 more to come, to reinforce its efforts to eradicate potholes.'We have further appointed more than 100 roadworker aids and foremen to be on the frontlines and ensure strict supervision of our work,' said Duma. He said the material used by his team is a key consideration. Cold-mix asphalt or cold bitumen emulsion is used for small potholes, whereas hot-mix asphalt is used for larger potholes on roads with high traffic volume. 'We are also working to improve relationships with material suppliers to ensure efficiency and quality,' he said. The department was concerned that prolonged rainfall and floods were destroying KZN's road Municipality spokesperson Gugu Sisilana said the City has dedicated internal teams and appointed external contractors to repair potholes. She also expressed concern about bad weather, saying it had hindered pothole repair efforts. Repairs mainly rely on hot asphalt, which is unsuitable in wet conditions. Cold mix is used only in emergencies or for temporary "make-safe" repairs. 'Despite weather challenges, City teams are currently on-site attending to potholes whenever conditions allow. A budget has been allocated specifically for road maintenance, including pothole repairs,' said Sisilana. Automobile Association (AA) spokesperson Eleanor Mavimbela said poor workmanship during road construction or repairs contributed to potholes. 'Municipalities must invest in high-quality road construction using durable materials and qualified contractors. Roads are often not built to standard specifications, or cheaper materials are used that cannot withstand weather conditions or heavy traffic.' Additionally, Mavimbela said a lack of proper drainage systems leads to water accumulation, which weakens the road surfaces. 'Delayed maintenance and the use of overloaded vehicles also accelerate road deterioration.' 'Motorists often face repair costs that can amount to thousands of rands - expenses that are rarely reimbursed. Potholes also increase the risk of accidents, as drivers may swerve to avoid them, putting themselves and others at risk,' she said.
