Latest news with #WaronPotholes'
IOL News
07-08-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
‘It's not us, it's you': Mayor Morero gaslights Cosmo City over potholes, blames residents
Cosmo City residents are furious after Joburg mayor Dada Morero has put the blame on them over the issue of potholes in the are. Image: Simon Majadibodu/IOL City of Joburg Mayor Dada Morero and Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) CEO Zweli Nyathi say the pothole crisis in Cosmo City is caused by residents, illegal car washes, and overcrowding, rather than failing infrastructure. Morero led the 'War on Potholes' operation in the area on Thursday. The initiative aims to repair potholes and resurface roads across the city. Cosmo City is among several areas battling poor service delivery, including pothole-riddled roads, persistent sewer spills, and blocked stormwater drains. Morero denied that the issue was a service delivery failure, instead blaming bylaw violations and illegal developments. 'No, it's not a service delivery crisis. It's by-law enforcement. All the damages we've seen here are the result of the community's actions, not infrastructure failure,' he said. 'There are high levels of encroachment, illegal connections, and sewer lines connected to stormwater drains. We must address those issues first.' Morero said resolving these issues would make it easier to reinstate and maintain existing infrastructure. 'The programme is mainly about bylaw enforcement. We're bringing in the Metropolitan Police Department Services (MPDS) from tomorrow and will focus on enforcing the law,' he added. 'We are meeting with the Department of Development Planning to deal with encroachment, which is very high and concerning in this area.' 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 ✕ Ad loading Morero also blamed the rapid, unregulated population growth in Cosmo City for the degradation of infrastructure. 'There's uncontrolled population growth, contributing significantly to the strain on infrastructure. Illegal structures have been built to accommodate more tenants and boost rental income, but without following regulations.' During the campaign, potholes were patched on Central African Republic, Sierra Leone, United States of America, Wyoming, Tanzania, and Angola streets. JRA CEO Zweli Nyathi echoed Morero's sentiments, arguing that illegal water connections and car washes are responsible for many road defects. 'The water we're seeing here is not groundwater, it's grey water from sewers, car washes and similar sources. As you can see behind me, car wash operators are dumping water on the road, which then runs down the slope and causes erosion,' said Nyathi. He added that many houses in the area have illegal 'dumping' pipes discharging directly onto roads. 'Constant water flow on the road erodes the surface underneath, damaging the bitumen. This isn't natural - it's man-made damage from illegal connections,' he said. 'We need to enforce building control and shut down illegal car washes, or ensure they dispose of water properly into drainage systems.' City of Joburg Mayor Dada Morero and Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) boss says the potholes in Cosmo City are not due to failing infrastructure, but rather the result of residents, car washes, and overcrowding in the area. Image: Simon Majadibodu/IOL However, residents rejected the city's explanation, accusing officials of deflecting blame for years of poor service delivery and substandard road construction. 'They can't blame us for potholes. We have been complaining about them for years,' said Samuel Malapane, a resident from Extension 6. 'They're the ones who hire inexperienced contractors. Now they want to blame us.' A car wash operator on Central African Republic Street, who refused to be named, also defended the community. 'Whether we wash cars here or not, there are potholes all over Johannesburg, even in areas without car washes,' he said.
IOL News
01-05-2025
- Automotive
- IOL News
KZN transport department allocates R216 million for pothole repairs
Siboniso Duma, KZN MEC for Transport and Human Settlements, during the 'War on Potholes' campaign. RATEPAYER associations in eThekwini have welcomed a R216 million allocation for pothole repairs but stressed the need for community engagement and sustainable solutions to ensure road safety. The allocation of R216 584 440.26 was announced during the KZN Department of Transport's 2025 budget speech on Friday. In addition, the department launched its 'War on Potholes' campaign in Edendale, Pietermaritzburg. Siboniso Duma, the MEC for Transport and Human Settlement in KZN, said the budget would be used towards blacktop patching in the current financial year. He said in the 2023/2024 financial year the department had procured 55 trucks at a cost of R103 million to tackle the backlog of 3.12 million square meters of potholes. 'We intend to procure a further 25 trucks to reinforce our efforts to eradicate potholes on our network. The department has also appointed more than 100 road worker aides and foremen to be on the frontlines in our fight against potholes. We will also contract service providers to assist in this cause.' Duma said they had previously tasked the regions with this work. 'It is now being elevated to head office level and will be funded and executed through the rehabilitation and reseal programmes panel of pothole patching service providers. 'We are in the process of appointing a specialist automated road rehabilitation and pothole patching service provider to deliver a speedy means of pothole patching at strategic areas of our province. This exercise will contribute greatly towards the capacitation and development of small contractors and employment of targeted labour,' he said. The POST recently spoke to various ratepayers, residents and civic associations in eThekwini, who raised their concerns about the compromised safety of motorists and costly damages caused to vehicles due to potholes. They said residents were forking out tens of thousands of rands for burst tyres, bent rims and suspension damage. In addition, they raised concerns about poor workmanship which resulted in the potholes recurring.
