Gauteng residents are forced to use roads that are in very poor condition with potholes everywhere, roads that are in dire need of resurfacing and road verges that are not properly maintained. This is because there are currently 85 funded vacancies in the department that are yet to be filled.
The lack of consistent and regular maintenance on our roads puts the lives of our motorists at risk on a daily basis. Many motorists are flagged as high risk as they constantly claim from their insurance due to accidents caused by the bad conditions of our roads.
This information was provided to me in a written reply to my questions tabled in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature from the MEC for Roads and Transport, Jacob Mamabolo.
Road reserves and verges that are not regularly cleared provides the perfect hideout for criminals who take advantage of vulnerable motorists which could lead to an increase in hijackings on our roads.
Now that lockdown restrictions have been eased, maintenance work must begin in earnest to ensure that our roads are always in tip-top shape.
It is unacceptable that tenders that needed to be awarded were stalled, because of constraints within the Supply Chain Management department.
Furthermore, no consequence management for this took place which once again highlights that no political will exists within the Premier Makhura-led administration to ensure that service delivery takes place.
If this situation is not remedied as a matter of urgency, then the state of our roads will continue to deteriorate, and we will see a spike in road accidents and fatalities on our province’s roads. I will be engaging directly with the MEC for Transport on this matter as we cannot allow this situation to continue.