The Mpumalanga Department of Public Works, Roads and Transport (PWRT) is facing more than 50 claims totalling R 3.1 million that have been filed for damage to vehicles caused by potholes in the First Quarter of 2024/2025 financial year.
This was revealed to the meeting of the Portfolio Committee on Public Works, Roads and Transport which was held at the Mpumalanga Legislature on Wednesday 16 October 2024.
During that meeting, the Committee raised a concern regarding the number of potholes on the roads under the management of the Mpumalanga Department of Public Works and required a report on roads that have been patched or maintained for potholes during the 1st Quarter and the amount spent on litigations from road users affected by poor road conditions.
In their response, the department mentioned to have received 58 pothole claims during the 1st Quarter that amounted to R3.1 million. They reported that a total of R362 000 has already been paid to settle 19 of the claims. They also reported that there are 39 claims that are still under consideration.
In the 2023/2024 financial year (from April 2023 to March 2024), the department faced R10.239 million worth of claims for pothole damage to vehicles; but only paid R7. 819 million. R3.842 million worth of claims was carried over to this financial year.
Potholes are a major problem in Mpumalanga, especial on the coal haulage and tourism routes, damaging cars’ tyres and causing inconvenience to communities. In some areas, community members have resorted to filling up potholes with sand, however, this only makes the issue worse during the rainy season as rain causes erosion that enlarges the potholes.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) is concerned that these claims take away from the budget meant to fix the roads leading to poor quality work, more potholes and more claims against the department.
The DA will continue to raise concerns about neglected road maintenance and the fixing of potholes in Mpumalanga until the ANC-led Mpumalanga Provincial Government recognises it as a serious issue facing all local municipalities.