KARIEGA – Residents in Kariega, KwaNobuhle and Despatch continue to raise concerns over deteriorating road conditions with their ward councillors, with potholes becoming an increasingly common feature on roads across the metro.

The issue has sparked criticism from Ward 51 councillor Roelf Basson, who claims repairs are being delayed because the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality (NMBM) allegedly lacks the materials needed to fix them.

In light of these concerns, UD Express approached the municipality for clarity on the availability of road repair materials, the status of maintenance contracts, the prioritisation of repairs and plans to address the widespread pothole damage affecting motorists and residents.

According to Ward 51 councillor Roelf Basson, the municipality’s explanation for the lack of repairs is unacceptable.

“Potholes in Kariega are not being repaired because the municipality claims they don’t have material to fix them. Residents pay rates and taxes, yet basic services continue to collapse,” he said.

Roads are falling apart, infrastructure is deteriorating, and the excuses never end. How much longer are residents expected to accept this while their town crumbles around them?

Basson said the situation regarding pothole repairs and road reinstatements had come to a standstill in Ward 51 and across Kariega.

“In Ward 51 we had between 200 and 300 potholes at the last count, and after the recent inclement weather there could be many more,” he said.

He claimed the municipality had informed councillors that it was awaiting the appointment of a contractor and that the absence of an asphalt contract had prevented municipal teams from carrying out pothole repairs.

“When there are dangerous potholes, the ward assists by filling them where we can because leaving them unattended could cause accidents and the loss of lives,” he said.

Basson added that there were approximately 60 large road reinstatements in Ward 51 where water repairs had been completed but the road surface still required re-tarring.

“Again, it is a contractor issue, but we have been informed that a contract has been awarded and only an appointment letter is outstanding. We have been promised that work will commence as soon as the letter is issued.”

He said some of the potholes had been left unattended for so long that grass and weeds were growing through them.

“The above scenario points to the total collapse of an administration and is one of the factors contributing to the decay of our beautiful town,” Basson said.

He added that despite regular follow-ups with the municipality’s Roads Administration, there had been no progress beyond assurances that contractors would soon be appointed.

“The only intervention we can make is to repair what is within our ability, and we do that regularly,” he said.

Responding to the allegations, NMBM spokesperson Sithembiso Soyaya said the municipality’s internal road maintenance teams continue to repair potholes across the metro using the material currently available.

An informal tender process is underway to procure additional material, which is expected to be received by Friday this week.

Soyaya added that the metro is also in the process of appointing contractors through an informal tender process to accelerate pothole repairs, with the contractors expected to use their own material.

He said the additional external teams would supplement the municipality’s internal road maintenance teams in response to the significant increase in potholes caused by the recent flooding.

Soyaya further confirmed that the supply chain management process to appoint contractors for pothole repairs over the next three years is at an advanced stage.

He noted, however, that it remains difficult to quantify the extent of the problem as potholes continue to develop following repeated flood damage.

“Potholes remain a moving target due to the ongoing impact of flood damage on our roads. As a result, it is difficult to provide an exact number of potholes across the Metro, as new defects continue to emerge,” he said.

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