Joburg’s crumbling roads fuel R115bn maintenance backlog

Not that Joburg drivers need reminding, but the city’s roads are deteriorating at an alarming rate.

And the zama zamas are making it worse, with the City of Johannesburg having to budget more than R200m to repair roads damaged by illegal underground mining activities.

The Johannesburg Road Agency’s (JRA) 2026/27 budget — presented to the council last month — reveals that close to a third of the city’s 13,599km network of surfaced and unsurfaced roads is in very poor condition. Much of the rest requires resurfacing, reshaping and regravelling.

The proportion of road infrastructure rated “good” to “very good” has declined from 52% to 45%, while roads classified “poor” to “very poor” have increased from 27% to 32%.

The JRA warns that the 2,881km of road classified as fair requires preventative maintenance — such as resealing — to preserve structural integrity and prevent further deterioration.

“If these interventions are delayed, the cost of maintenance increases significantly as roads transition into the poor and very poor categories, where more extensive rehabilitation or full reconstruction becomes necessary,” the budget document — which has been issued for public comment — states.

According to the JRA, preventative resealing costs about R1.7m/km, while rehabilitation pushes the cost up to R10m/km. Full reconstruction of badly damaged roads can cost as much as R15m/km.

The city currently has about 3,006km of roads classified as poor, while a further 1,002km fall into the very poor category. Roads in these categories typically require major rehabilitation or complete reconstruction because of structural pavement failure.

The JRA warns that the growing proportion of roads falling into poor and very poor condition underscores the city’s mounting infrastructure maintenance backlog.

“Without sustained and adequately funded preventative maintenance programmes, a larger portion of the network will continue to deteriorate, resulting in significantly higher long-term rehabilitation and reconstruction costs,” the document notes.

It says proactive maintenance investment is therefore critical to preserving existing road assets, improving mobility, supporting economic activity, and ensuring the long-term sustainability of the city’s transport infrastructure.

According to the document, the city’s roads and related infrastructure backlog now stands at R115bn. The two largest backlogs are in catchments, dams and stormwater infrastructure (R61bn) and roads (R37.7bn).

Illegal mining activities in and around the city are also causing significant damage to road infrastructure, the JRA says. The document notes that “a high volume of roads are collapsing or forming sinkholes” in mining-belt areas as a result of illegal underground mining.

These activities are also affecting Johannesburg Water’s work in Mooi Street, where repairs to the Selby water infrastructure are under way.

“The urgency of obtaining funds to reconstruct these collapsed roads cannot be overstated. Since these roads — that connect the CBD and the south — are unusable, it creates a critical infrastructure gap that affects not only transportation but also various aspects of public life and the economy,” the budget document states.

Three projects directly linked to illegal mining damage are scheduled for the next financial year:

• The reinstatement of Wemmer Pan Road at a cost of R69m. The damage was caused by illegal mining, and underground voids will need to be closed and compacted; 
• The rehabilitation of John and Webber streets in Selby at a cost of R125m. The project includes repairing a sinkhole caused by illegal mining, reinstating stormwater infrastructure and rehabilitating the road surface; and
• The rehabilitation of Nick Toomey Boulevard in Roodepoort at a cost of R25m.

The outlook for the city’s 902 bridges is equally bleak. Only 22 are classified as being in very good condition, while 557 are in poor condition and 150 are rated very poor.

The JRA says several high-impact programmes will be implemented in the next financial year, including stormwater upgrades and road tarring in the following areas:

• Region A: Ivory Park, Diepsloot, Mayibuye and Kaalfontein;
• Region B: Braamfischerville, Tshepisong, Doornkop and Thulani; and
• Region C: Klipfontein View.

Region G, which includes Orange Farm, is earmarked for road tarring, stormwater systems, sewer infrastructure and housing development.

The entity is requesting a capital expenditure budget of R1,3bn for infrastructure projects in the next financial year, along with an operational budget of R2bn.

• This story was produced by Our City News, a non-profit newsroom serving the people of Joburg