EDITORIAL | Unless infrastructure and planning are prioritised, we’re headed for disaster

The dismal state of Gauteng’s road system has been brought into sharp focus by more than a week of torrential rains, and motorists are unlikely to see full repairs done any time soon.

Sink holes and the collapse of several roads and bridges have left many key routes unusable.

Lives have been lost, buildings, vehicles, electricity lines and homes have been washed away, and blocked or non-existent drainage systems have played a major part in the extent of the damage.

A lack of proper, long-term maintenance has made the situation worse. After all, if the Eskom debacle has taught us anything, it is that our government favours reaction over prevention. It is a strategy that costs us all dearly in the long run, yet government seems unable to break the cycle.

Gauteng MEC for transport and logistics Kedibone Diale-Tlabela this week estimated it would take eight months to fix Hendrick Potgieter Road in Roodepoort, Johannesburg, which collapsed under the strain of the downpours.

She said government is “exploring strategies” on developing adequate stormwater drainage systems and fixing many of those that are blocked.

It is disturbing to learn they are still at the exploration stage. Those who choose to see the glass as half-full may argue that it’s better late than never. But the rest of us aren’t holding our breath.

Experts have been warning for years that climate change will bring an increase in extreme weather to SA. We have had ample warnings and time to prepare.

The floods that decimated areas of KwaZulu-Natal earlier this year, in which 435 people died, are still fresh in the minds of many. Thousands of homes were destroyed, and much of the infrastructure damaged has not yet been repaired. Gauteng can count itself lucky that the destruction did not reach those devastating levels, but next time might be a different story.

Experts have been warning for years that climate change will bring an increase in extreme weather to SA. We have had ample warnings and time to prepare. Yet little, if anything, has been done.

The state of stormwater drains in Gauteng is poor. Many are blocked and offer little or no runoff capacity for heavy rain. Some areas were built without stormwater drainage altogether. What were authorities thinking when they approved those plans? Certainly not of the long-term safety of the communities they were building for.

While floods and other extreme weather incidents are unavoidable acts of nature, how to mitigate against the damage they wreak should form a key part of government’s service delivery strategy.

Last month Gauteng finance MEC Jacob Mamabolo admitted that the province’s infrastructure programme to provide additional capacity and improve the condition of the existing stock of infrastructure assets, had been adjusted downwards from R12.16bn to R11.77bn due to underspending.

He noted that the infrastructure delivery programme was characterised by continuous “under-expenditure” and a “lack of multiyear planning”.

While roads are just one small element of infrastructure, it appears once again the taxpayer has been shortchanged by leaders who prioritise politics and self-promotion over effective service delivery.