The Pothole Patrol records 100,000 repairs in one year

The Pothole Patrol, a partnership between the City of Johannesburg (CoJ), Discovery Insure and Dialdirect Insurance, has repaired more than 100,000 potholes since its launch in May 2021, executive mayor Mpho Phalatse announced this morning.

“The City of Johannesburg is proud to partner with Discovery Insure and Dialdirect Insurance to ensure our roads are of a good quality and safe. As we build a City of Golden Opportunities, we must get the basics right, and this includes repairing and maintaining aged infrastructure. We will only build Joburg with the help of businesses, residents and other spheres of government,” said Phalatse.

The Pothole Patrol launched an App to simplify the reporting process for Joburg residents  in October last year, and this accelerated the programme’s output.  

“While the unprecedented wet weather unfortunately exacerbated the already dire pothole situation in Johannesburg, and an unexpected bitumen shortage has caused a few delays, we’ve successfully managed to exceed our mandated repair target by 25% month-on-month. We have also increased our repair fleet and employed additional resources to help manage the increased number of reports,” said Anneli Retief, head of Dialdirect.

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Anton Ossip, CEO of Discovery Insure, said the introduction of The Pothole Patrol in Johannesburg has paid dividends in the form of reduced pothole-related insurance claims.

“In March we announced the benefits of this initiative are evident in Discovery Insure data which shows a 26% reduction in pothole-related claims in Johannesburg, compared to an increase of 45% across the rest of Gauteng,” said Ossip.

Commenting on Roodepoort, the area in with the most potholes, Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) CEO Siya Nodu indicated it is one of the oldest suburbs, and as a result most roads have passed their design lifespan.

The Pothole Patrol received a high number of reports from the following arterial roads:

• William Nicol Drive, where 155 potholes were reported;
• Jan Smuts Aveue 110 potholes reported;
• Ontdekkers Road: 104 potholes reported, and;
• Beyers Naude Drive: 90 pothole reported.

“Reinstatements, road excavations, deep trenches or cracks are caused by entities and other service providers, either repairing or installing their services, and are not classified as potholes,” said Nodu.

“The Pothole Patrol escalates reinstatements to the JJRA as per our mandate. We have recently entered into a framework agreement with Joburg Water to repair all reinstatements done as a result of water pipe leaks.”

Joburg road users are encouraged to report potholes via the COJ call centre  on 0860-562-874 or Pothole Patrol App available on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.