Gauteng motorists continue to use roads that are in terrible condition, with one of these being the R101 provincial road, despite the Department of Roads and Transport setting a budget aside to maintain our roads.
The department’s second quarterly report for the 2022/2023 financial year indicates that 32 000 square metres were supposed to be patched, but only 14 515,45 square metres of surfaced road blacktop was patched.
The department claims that the remaining square metres could not be completed because of delays in the procurement of outsourced road maintenance companies.
This is very worrying as it means that the motor vehicle accident rate in the province is at risk of increasing.
In addition, motorists will have to fork out more money for insurance if their vehicle is damaged frequently because of the poor conditions of our roads.
It is high time that this department gets its ducks in a row and ascertains exactly why there were delays in the procurement of outsourced road maintenance companies.
It is unacceptable that a province that is the hub of the economy and frequently used as a thoroughfare for the transportation of goods to other parts of the country is unable to ensure that our roads are properly maintained regularly.
By not spending the budget set aside for the maintenance of the provincial roads, there is a risk that this budget will be cut. This means the department will still have to maintain the same number of roads with less money.
A DA government in Gauteng would ensure that the procurement of outsourced road maintenance companies is done timeously so that there are no delays in resurfacing and patching roads. Furthermore, we will embark on an awareness campaign for these companies to ensure that they are informed about the requirements needed to do business with the government.