Latest news with #WaronPotholes
The Citizen
16-07-2025
- Politics
- The Citizen
Now we wait for accountability, Mr Mayor
In a country where politicians and top policemen get away with murder and grand corruption, accountability is a chimera. Joburg mayor Dada Morero with members of the mayoral committee and officials from the Johannesburg Roads Agency at Hyde Park in Johannesburg on 10 July 2025, during the launch of the War on Potholes campaign in Ward 90. Picture: Nigel Sibanda A month after Joburg mayor Dada Morero said there were no potholes in ward 90, he arrived in Hyde Park on Thursday with hundreds of workers, fleets of trucks and tons of pothole-fixing equipment. This time he said there were 1 149 potholes in the ward. As Ward 90 councillor, I earlier mocked his 'no potholes' assertion but would not have done so at Thursday's briefing, had I been given the opportunity. Hosts should not insult guests. I was invited to sit at the table with the mayor for his media address. Before sitting, I offered him a welcoming hand and asked (off-mic) if he was sure he wanted me there, as there was a crush of seemingly eminent persons eyeing the seats. 'Yes,' he said, 'I want you to hold us to account.' His short address ended similarly, 'residents can hold us to account'. Some surprise then, when my request to address the gathering was turned down by his colleagues on the grounds that 'the mayor speaks for all of us'. What kind of accountability is that, when the only directly elected public representative of the ward 90 community is not allowed to use a publicly funded microphone at a publicly funded event where accountability is promoted? ALSO READ: WATCH: Joburg mayor sets out to fix potholes Ward councillors are the only directly elected public representatives in South Africa. In Johannesburg, half of the 270 councillors are ward councillors. The other 135 are PR councillors, drawn from party lists. Mayor Morero (ANC) and Transport MMC Kenny Kunene (Patriotic Alliance) are PR councillors. They are accountable firstly to their political parties. They were not directly elected by residents. How can we hold the mayor to account? When people use the word accountability, they usually don't have a clue what they are talking about. It's vaguely comforting to talk about accountability but in a country where politicians and top policemen get away with murder and grand corruption, accountability is a chimera. In his address, Morero said that by the end of August there would be 'no potholes here'. He also said all stormwater drains would be cleared. Streetlights and traffic signals would be working. These are significant undertakings and it was not always clear whether he was talking about ward 90 or all 12 wards in Region B. ALSO READ: Joburg's housing backlog needs R60bn and less red tape – Morero In the list distributed during his visit, there was considerable jumbling of wards and suburbs. In order to hold the mayor and the Joburg Roads Agency accountable, it will be best to have clear, consolidated lists, which do not exist. For proper tracking and accountability, the city should invest in technology which can detect and relay information on the exact positioning and dimensions of potholes. This equipment could be fitted to wide-roaming vehicles such as Pikitup trucks and we could have updated records. There's no chance such a set-up will be in place by the end of August, so we'll have to do our best using older methods. Mayor Morero is hereby invited to a public meeting in early September, (venue to be confirmed) to report back on the Region B 'War on potholes'. I'll bring my own public address system. We know Morero's counting has improved since last month. Now for accountability. NOW READ: Joburg mayor Dada Morero survives motion of no confidence
The Citizen
16-07-2025
- General
- The Citizen
JRA still battles with reinstatements as completion rate is at 79%
JRA still battles with reinstatements as completion rate is at 79% The Joburg Crisis Alliance (JCA) is urging the City of Johannesburg to improve its management and execution of road and pavement reinstatements, following a significant backlog in repairs. Reinstatements are necessary after excavations are made for services or repairs, which often require digging up roads and pavements, particularly by Joburg Water (JW). Once JW completes its water pipe repairs, the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) is expected to promptly reinstate and restore the affected areas, said programme coordinator for the JCA, Yunus Chamda. Read more: Councillor calls on JRA for action in Fairland He added that the JCA had observed numerous sites across the city that presented a serious threat to public safety. 'After some time, the red tape that demarcates the danger at a site disappears, and the area becomes unsafe.' Chamda said that internal arrangements have shifted the responsibility for reinstatement from JW to the JRA, a move that JCA acknowledges as logical, given the differing expertise required for water and road repairs. 'Despite this, the city appears to have fallen behind, resulting in a substantial backlog of reinstatements.' JRA head of regional operations Khaya Gqibitole provided insights into their efforts to address the backlog. 'The JRA has teams across all seven regions responsible for repairing road defects, including reinstatements,' he stated. Currently, the completion rate for reinstatements from the backlog stands at 79%. However, Gqibitole noted that ongoing excavations by Joburg Water complicated the situation. 'Joburg Water continues to excavate roads as part of maintaining critical water and sewer infrastructure; therefore, the repair or reinstatement of roads is a moving target.' In terms of specific regions, Gqibitole highlighted that Regions B and F have the highest number of reinstatements on the backlog list. The completion rate for reinstatements in Region B is also at 79%. The JRA is committed to addressing all road defects in Region B, including reinstatements, and efforts will be intensified through the Executive Mayor Dada Morero's War on Potholes programme, which is set to continue in Region B until the end of July 2025. Follow us on our Whatsapp channel, Facebook, X, Instagram, and TikTok for the latest updates and inspiration! Have a story idea? We'd love to hear from you – join our WhatsApp group and share your thoughts! At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The Citizen
10-07-2025
- Politics
- The Citizen
Potholes Get Attention in Johannesburg's Ward 90
Mayor Morero launches war on potholes. Joburg mayor Dada Morero with members of the mayoral committe and the officials from the Johannesburg Roads Agency at Hyde Park in Johannesburg, 10 July 2025, during the launch of the War on Potholes campaign at Ward 90. Picture: Nigel Sibanda/ The Citizen Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero has launched 'war on potholes' at Ward 90. This campaign is set to deliver on the mayor's commitment from the State of the City Address to prioritise road infrastructure, enhance mobility and restore service delivery. Mayor preaches 'high impact service delivery' Marking a year in office, the mayor admits to cracks under his leadership. When speaking to The Citizen, Morero emphasised, 'my argument has always been planning and management issues which were weaknesses we are correcting. That is why you can see that it's possible, this thing can be done so we are doing it. We have corrected management and supervision weaknesses, and we believe with motivated staff and leadership, we will these results that we want.' The campaign is set to tackle Ward 90's potholes and more by the end of August. It will then be followed assessed to further fix what might have been missed during the operation. 'By the time we leave here, month-end of August, there will be no potholes here. That is the commitment we are making, we would have cleared all potholes and storm water blockages that are there. We would have also dealt with streetlights and traffic signals.' Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero levelling tar to close a pothole. Video: Molemo Tladi ALSO READ: DA's motion against mayor a self-serving tactic Martin William, ward counsellor of Ward 90 expressed, 'this arose because less than a month ago the mayor said at a press conference that there were no potholes in ward 90, I disputed that. I gave him a new list this morning.' With the mayor and members of the mayoral committee walking to the first two areas to be tackled in what seemed to be a media frenzy, the counsellor said, 'We're very pleased that the mayor is here with all these people and that the ward is getting all this attention. The proof of the pudding will come later; we'll have to do another check.' Money to be spent When commenting on the amount of money to be allocated to this campaign, Morero said, 'We are looking at considerable amounts probably in the ranges of R300 [million] to R700 million, there's also money for resurfacing. So we will spend, the idea also is about spending and ensure that we have spent. The whole idea is that we must respond, there's no excuse, we must respond to infrastructure challenges.' Morero confirmed that no new employees were recruited for the campaign.
IOL News
28-04-2025
- Automotive
- IOL News
KZN Transport launches R216 million 'War on Potholes' campaign to improve road infrastructure
The KwaZulu-Natal Transport department has launched a R216 million War on Potholes campaign to address the widespread deterioration of the province's road network. Picture: Neil Baynes Image: Neil Baynes The KwaZulu-Natal Transport department has launched a R216 million War on Potholes campaign as it moves to address the widespread deterioration of the province's road network. The campaign was launched last week in Edendale, Pietermaritzburg, by Premier Thami Ntuli, MEC for Transport and Human Settlements Siboniso Duma, and uMgungundlovu District Mayor Mzi Zuma. MEC Duma said the initiative aimed to eliminate a backlog of 3.12 million square metres of potholes across the province. Residents of Waterfall in Durban recently took it upon themselves to warn motorists of potholes in their area. 'We want to tackle the backlog of 3.12 million m² of potholes across the province. We intend to procure a further 25 trucks to reinforce our efforts to eradicate potholes on our network,' he said. Fifty-five pothole-patching trucks have already been deployed, and more than 100 road worker aids and foremen have been appointed to support the campaign. The department will also appoint service providers under the rehabilitation and reseal programme to fast-track patching efforts. The pothole project forms part of the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport's 2025/26 infrastructure programme, where R9.2 billion of the department's R13 billion budget has been allocated to transport infrastructure. Of this, over R4.3 billion will be spent on maintaining the existing road network, R3.8 billion on constructing new roads, and more than R927 million on supporting programmes. 'The province's road network remains a priority for economic development, public safety and service delivery,' Duma said, adding that the department would centralise pothole patching at head office level to improve project oversight. Persistent flooding and ageing infrastructure have severely impacted KZN's roads, resulting in escalating maintenance and rehabilitation costs. Duma noted that the department would also appoint an automated pothole patching service provider to deliver quicker repairs in strategic areas.
