Ekurhuleni spending R231m less on road maintenance as potholes and backlogs increase

30 March 2016

The Ekurhuleni DA Caucus has consistently maintained that the Ekurhuleni Metro has neglected the maintenance of critical road infrastructure. Road maintenance and repairs has sorely been lacking and despite many undertakings by Mayor Mondli Gungubele, results have been poor. The DA has been vindicated on their stance if one considers the statistics (attached) provided by DA Shadow Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Kevin Mileham MP.

Ekurhuleni shows the lowest increase in activities overall. Ekurhuleni is also the only metro, apart from Nelson Mandela Bay, that significantly decreased the total amount spent on major road upgrades between 2013/2014 to 2014/2015 by R231-miilion while all other metro’s increased their spending.

Furthermore, 68km of roads in Ekurhuleni will not be resurfaced and 68km of gravel roads will not be tarred.

Although the amount of potholes repaired per square metre between 2013/2014 – 2014/2015 increased by a small amount, this is disproportionately far less than the proliferation of potholes experienced on the roads in Ekurhuleni.

Road infrastructure maintenance is a fundamental element to business growth and job creation in any municipality. It is also the right of motorists to travel on roads that are safe. We call upon Mayor Gungubele to reveal plans the metro has in place to correct the decay of our roads, rather than merely paying lip service to the idea.

Issued by Bill Rundle, DA Shadow MMC for Roads and Transport in Ekurhuleni, 30 March 2016