This is how you can report potholes
We think many drivers on South African roads can agree the country’s roads require attention and have been deemed unsafe by many road users.
The government is taking bold steps to modernise its systems, such as streaming their services, particularly traffic services to online, making solving these issues easier.
According to Minister of Transport Fikile Mbalula in February, together with the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) launched an online payment gateway for the renewal of driver and vehicle licences among other services, including pothole fixes.
Various online traffic services, which were previously only accessible by visiting a registering authority or DLTC, have been made available on the RTMC’s online platform effective immediately.
ALSO READ: RTMC snuck hidden costs into new online payment system, says OUTA
From the roads in cities, suburbs to rural areas, the state of the country’s roads are dire. Speaking in Wolmaransstad, North West, as he inspected N12 on Saturday, Mbalula said they are working with premiers, mayors to assist them by allowing SANRAL to take over these roads so they can address the challenges of potholes.
The pothole backlog saw Roodepoort residents fix 100 potholes on key arterial routes themselves after complaints submitted to the JRA went unanswered in 2021.
This is how you can report potholes:
Call this hotline:
The South Africa government posted on their Twitter page that people can report potholes to a hotline number after Mbaulala responded and agreed to a Twitter user who said the potholes were a “death trap”.
The hotline to report a pothole in your area is called, Sihamba Sonke (we go together), dial 086 176 2847 to log in your complaint.
Apps available:
The Pothole Patrol App is in partnership between insurers Discovery and Dialdirect allowing drivers to report potholes using geolocation data.
There is a simple registration process, such as logging in your personal details to get started. The app allows you to log a pothole using Google Maps to locate the exact position (street name and number) of the pothole. It gives you a repair progress notification and the road user will be notified when the pothole is repaired in real-time.
There is also a list of potholes logged where users can see the progress of which potholes are scheduled and in progress to be fixed. The app is currently only available in Johannesburg however app developers are working on making it accessible to more metros.
Compiled by Sandisiwe Mbhele