Question NW632 to the Minister of Transport
30 March 2021 - NW632
Moteka, Mr PG to ask the Minister of Transport
What total amount would it cost his department to (a) eliminate all pot holes and (b) keep maintaining the roads to ensure that they are free of pot holes?
Reply:
a) The funding requirement to sustain South Africa Road Network through pothole repairs is estimated at (a) R700 to R1500 / per square meter.
b) As an Honourable Member may be aware it is difficult to eradicate potholes on the road network as the emergence of new potholes depends entirely on the extent and nature of rainfall in that month or year. It is important to note that the road maintenance funding allocated from the National Fiscus is not sufficient to maintain the road network in the three spheres of Government as there are competing needs to all sectors.
It’s worth noting that most of our Provincial road network has reached its design life (25 years) and were never designed for the current increased traffic volumes and traffic configuration.
With that said, my Department ensures that roads are properly maintained through the Provincial Road Maintenance Grant (PRMG). The PRMG is ringfenced for the maintenance of the Provincial Strategic Road Network including rehabilitation, strengthening of paved roads, re-gravelling, gravel road blading and blacktop patching (potholes with an amount of just over R12 billion per annum to all provinces.