Can you imagine how stupid one has to be to be bragging about these achievements? How can anyone think these stats are any good when everyone knows everything is failing. Forget the National Roads as they do not figure in this as these are Toll Roads and the toll fees paid are there to cover the upkeep of those roads.
South Africa has an estimated 750 000 kilometers of roads in the country so as a percentage the government has managed to maintain 0.001% of the current infrastructure. It is little wonder why the roads have deteriorated at a rapid rate and the roads are now at a point of having to be all resurfaced.
This report was from 4 years ago back in 2022 and the roads since then have dropped another few levels with many falling in the "dangerous" ranking. The potholes which are now spreading at such a speed they cannot even be avoided as they cover such large portions of the road and they are missing the top 3 layers of the road and down to gravel and big rocks. These are 20 cm holes which will buckle car wheel rims, blow tires and break axles.
The roads budget is up by 200% since 2011 with 2026 standing at R17.2 billion yet very little is being done and if 2022 was rated as a D then 4 years on we have to be looking at a realistic F.
The estimated road budget requirement backlog has risen from R100 billion back in 2011 to an estimated R400 billion in 2026. The obvious answer is this would create so much employment for the unemployed which is hovering between 50 and 60% and would keep them busy for the next 10 years. This would be a boost to the economy investing in the people through fixing the infrastructure.
The biggest problem facing the SA Roads Agency is the number of trucks on the road due to the failed rail network which no longer exists like it did prior to 1994. The trucks are damaging the roads that are deemed good and it will not be long before those roads are destroyed.
I am driving to Durban on Tuesday from Johannesburg and I am not looking forward to this experience. It is bad enough dealing with the sub standard drivers on the road let alone looking for problems on the road surfaces. This is why I prefer to fly and hire a car at the other end, but in this case the trip is just over a week and I have to drive the gauntlet instead.
South Africa like all the African countries used to rely on handouts from US and EU NGO's and what we are seeing today is the result of those stopping. maintenance is not a word that they like to use as in the past they would wait for it to break before asking for outside assistance and funding. The roads are heading in that direction rather quickly and this is nationally and not regional. The local roads in the suburbs are not just patch up jobs anymore and need redoing entirely. The scary part is we have had rain over the last few days so those pot holes will not only increase in size and depth due to cars driving into them not being able to see them due to the water on the road, but new holes will appear.
