Transport MMC Ngobeni wants improved infrastructure
If all goes well, transport MMC Funzela Ngobeni hopes more money will be allocated in the next financial year to resurface Region A's old roads.
City of Johannesburg Transport MMC Funzela Ngobeni believes the patching of potholes was not the remedy to improve the state of roads in Region A.
He said money was needed to build new roads as opposed to repairing potholes which reappear after heavy rains.
Ngobeni said this during the launch of an A Re Sebetseng initiative at Midrand Fire Station on May 30 in the presence of various ward councillors and representatives of Joburg Water and Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA).
Ngobeni said the initiative was aimed at improving deteriorated infrastructure, especially the repairing of potholes and dysfunctional traffic lights.
“We are of the view that we need to spend money on resurfacing of our roads rather than just patching potholes. Because look, patching of potholes used to work when our roads were still in good condition. So our roads have now aged, we’ve also experienced a lot of rain during the summer season plus two years of non-maintenance has caused the damage you see in this region.”
He added to date 19 000 potholes across Johannesburg had been repaired.
After the launch, Ngobeni visited various sites where repair work was underway.
“The purpose of this is to try claw back the backlog on potholes and reinstatements of traffic lights that are not working, and as you know these are a challenge in this region. So we have all employers from other depots within the City converging here to try and assist with the workload.”
The initiative will run until June 10 and will be followed up by post inspections.
Related articles:
https://www.citizen.co.za/midrand-reporter/304980/narrowing-alsation-road-worries-eduvos/
