The City of Ekurhuleni has patched 500 potholes in the first six months of the financial year, Mayor Nkosindiphile Xhakaza said on Thursday while delivering his State of the City Address.
He acknowledged that potholes are becoming a growing burden for the metro.
“This is not only impacting the road users but also the economy of the region because roads are the backbone of the movement of goods and services,” he said.
The metro is governed by Xhakaza of the African National Congress (ANC), and is in coalition with other political parties, including the Economic Freedom Fighters.
“It is therefore incumbent on us to give urgent attention to the situation before we lose critical investors and shed jobs,” Xhakaza said.
He said the metro is working to address the issue through the Hlasela Ama Pothole campaign, which he said has helped repair hundreds of potholes recently.
“In our efforts to improve the road network in the region, immediate attention will go towards aging roads, road signs, bridges, and culverts.”
“So far this year, the city has maintained a total of 506 kilometers of the existing road infrastructure network,” Xhakaza added.
The work includes road rehabilitation, pothole patching, road markings, and signage in areas such as Springs, Katlehong, Vosloorus, Bedfordview, Pomona, and Linksfield.
A further 241 kilometers will be maintained in the next quarter of the financial year, he said.
“In the area of potholes, a total of 500 potholes had been patched by the first six months of the financial year.”
Some councillors inside the chamber were heard questioning, “Where?…
However, Xhakaza said the area covered includes Thokoza, Etwatwa, Kempton Park, and Tsakani.
“During the same period, the department responded to just above 50% of all reported pothole complaints within the municipal standard response time,” Xhakaza said.
He emphasized that continuous improvement is critical to enhancing the road user experience.
“To mitigate the threat of flooding, to date we have maintained 5,000 stormwater systems in, among other areas, Buhle Park, Spruitview, Boksburg, Nigel, and Brakpan.”
“We remain committed to completing the remaining 2,000 stormwater systems by the end of the financial year.”
Xhakaza said one of the city’s biggest service delivery challenges is fleet management, and the metro will review its fleet management model to adopt a more efficient and sustainable approach.
“Consideration of cameras, tracking technology and other innovations are at the forefront of the innovations we plan to introduce in the city.”
He said all affected departments must build internal capacity for workshops as part of a hybrid model.
“The Roads and Transport Management Department must introduce devices on all outsourced vehicles for route tracking and monitoring purposes.”
He added that the city has spent just over R218 million this financial year to expand the Integrated Rapid Public Transport Network and Harambee project.
“The investment is going into the construction of additional dedicated bus lanes, streetlights, walkways and curbside stops,” he said.
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