Pesky potholes, a new solution on the horizon?

It is estimated currently that South Africa has around 25 million potholes, a significant increase since 2017 when it was reported that the country had approximately 15 million potholes. That is a 40% increase in just seven years (Illidge, 2023).

Pothole repair cost is estimated to be between R700 to R1,500 per square meter, according to the Department of Transport and over 6 months, it has cost KwaZulu-Natal R673 Million as part of their road maintenance budget to repair 500,000m² of potholes.

Potholes seem to appear from nowhere and then quickly deteriorate into large craters in the road surface creating a hazard for most vehicles. These initial small cracks or fissures that appear can be caused by various factors, including wear and tear, extreme weather conditions and improper road maintenance. As the cracks deepen and water and other contaminants seep into the road, the surface is further weakened, spiraling into an ever-growing problem.

Extreme weather conditions cannot be controlled. Heavy rain causes water to seep into cracks, and when coupled with prolonged periods of freezing temperatures causes the water to expand when cooling, causing the road to break.

This condition is exacerbated when the area has poor drainage as water can accumulate on the surface and seep into the road, causing the surface to weaken and develop cracks, increasing the likelihood of pothole formation.

Due to heavy traffic and road use in South Africa, there is an increase in the wear and tear of our road systems. This coupled with improper maintenance such as irregular inspections, sealing of cracks and filling of potholes increases deterioration and pothole formation.

Although prevention is better than cure, we are not getting away from extensive use of our road system anytime soon and with that comes increased wear and tear. Furthermore, climate change and varied weather conditions make it nearly impossible to prevent potholes altogether.

Public frustration often causes individuals to repair potholes themselves, however, there is a bylaw that prevents people from doing this. It is illegal for unauthorized people to tamper with the road system, as there are certain standards that should be met when repairing potholes to ensure that they do not re-occur.

The proper repair and maintenance of potholes can be addressed through adequate training. In August 2022, Mr Makoto Matlala, the Department of Transport’s Chief Financial Officer, and his team provided an update on the key interventions and programmes to be put in place for the repair and maintenance of the roads and general infrastructure across the country. Two interventions highlighted for the City of Johannesburg were the Pothole Patrol repair app and a six-month pothole repair programme.

The City of Johannesburg released its Pothole Patrol App in partnership with Dial Direct and Discovery, which allowed residents to report potholes using geolocation technology. Residents were able to pinpoint their location and upload images to pinpoint pothole sites accurately. This coupled with the Pothole Patrol Team ensured that pothole sites were attended to timeously. In February this year, Discovery launched its Pothole Patrol Academy, where candidates were now being trained on how to correctly fix potholes.

QCTO and CETA are collaborating to develop a Skills programme that will train people to repair potholes with the proper materials in the correct manner. This skills programme forms part of the Occupational Certificate: Routine Road Maintenance Manager. Candidates will learn how to construct and maintain road surfaces and will also be trained to understand other road activities and traffic control. One key advantage to this skills programme is that participants will gain theoretical knowledge as well as practical and workplace experience.  

There are hopes that other provinces and municipalities will start their own Pothole Patrols and train unemployed community members to effectively fix potholes, to make our roads safer for all road users and also to create more employment in our communities.

Heidi Kilian

Head: Training Academy

REFERENCES

Myles Illidge. 2023. South Africa’s shocking roads — here’s how many potholes government has filled. MYBROADBAND Available online from: https://mybroadband.co.za/news/motoring/516545-south-africas-shocking-roads-heres-how-many-potholes-government-has-filled.html [accessed: 18 March 2024]

Mmoiemang, M. 2022.  Provincial & Rural Road Maintenance Grants; Pothole Repair Project & App, NCOP Transport, Public Service and Administration, Public Works and Infrastructure. Available online from: https://pmg.org.za/committee-meeting/35376/ [accessed: 18 March 2024]