Joburg needs R20bn to fix the city's pothole-ridden roads

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Johannesburg - Joburg mayor Geoff Makhubo traded his suit for Joburg Roads Agency (JRA) overalls on Wednesday to launch the War On Potholes campaign. The project is aimed at enhancing road infrastructure around the City, especially following the recent heavy rains in Joburg, which has caused damage to some of the roads. The campaign initially began on January 28 with March 28 being the estimated completion date. The campaign launch was held at the Region E customer service centre in Sandton. JRA head of infrastructure Siyabonga Ngenu said: “Remember some of these roads are old and over the past few months we’ve experienced heavy rains so it is very important that we attend to them, which will also make the lives of motorists easier,” he said. He urged motorists to claim from the City should their cars get damaged.

“If they visit the city’s website, there’s an email or number that they can call, and they should provide all the required documents for their claims to be considered,” he said.

According to MMC for transport Nonhlanhla Makhuba, the city has requested more than R400million for the campaign. It also needed more money to rebuild damaged roads.

“Due to budget constraints we are forced to patch the potholes but the ultimate goal is to rehabilitate roads.

“We need close to R20billion to rehabilitate these roads but we’ve identified a number of streets that are problematic and will attend to those.”

Makhuba assured that the campaign would be executed in all parts of the city.

“The City belongs to everyone who dwells in it and as a result this is a joint effort incorporating the JRA, Citizen Relationship Urban Management, urban inspectors and local communities.”