‘We’ve got to dodge and queue in Pothole Avenue’

Nelson Mandela Bay’s roads are a maze of potholes, with motorists forced to dodge patchworks of broken tar daily along major routes and residential streets.

Residents across the city say pothole-ridden roads are damaging vehicles, disrupting businesses and making daily travel unbearable.

Taxi operators, tyre repairmen, councillors and business owners described daily traffic chaos, with recent flooding making conditions even more dangerous.

The city has not had an asphalt contract since August 2025, after it expired.

Meanwhile, the municipality is busy with assessments to quantify the number and estimated cost of pothole repairs across the city.

In the interim, it has implemented an informal tender process with the existing pothole repair programme.

Potholes in the city are costing the Algoa Bus Company nearly R1m a month to fix tyres, up from about R300,000 previously.

This has driven recent fare increases.

Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber chief executive Denise van Huyssteen said they were concerned about the increase in the number of potholes and the length of time it took to repair them.

“While we acknowledge that the recent heavy rains have exacerbated the situation, pothole repairs should be addressed with urgency as they create safety hazards and can cause serious accidents.

“Moreover, from a business perspective, the general state of roads and stormwater infrastructure in the metro impacts the movement of goods, transportation of people and overall investor confidence levels.”

She said the issue of pothole repairs was in the awarding and implementation of contracts.

“We have written to the acting city manager regarding the delays caused by the bid adjudication committee not meeting and making decisions, and to this end we requested that the bid adjudication committee urgently meet to ensure that critical contracts are awarded and implemented to support critical service delivery activities across the metro.”

She said collaborative intervention on the ground was crucial.

“By way of example, the Newton Park cluster, one of 11 geographic clusters operating under the chamber banner, has been partnering with the non-profit organisation MES to undertake targeted pothole-filling interventions in the area.

“While interventions like these are not intended to replace the municipality’s core service delivery mandate, they demonstrate the willingness of the private sector and organised business to contribute towards practical solutions which protect key economic nodes.

“We remain convinced that this is the most fixable metro in SA, and remain willing to collaborate with the municipality and other stakeholders to ensure that the environment is enabling.”

Municipal spokesperson Sithembiso Soyaya said the municipality acknowledged the serious deterioration of roads and the increase in potholes.

“The municipality wishes to clarify that there is currently an active pothole repair programme in place, implemented through both appointed service providers and internal municipal roads teams.

“These interventions are continuing across affected areas as part of ongoing efforts to improve road safety and mobility throughout the metro.”

He said the municipality was undertaking a comprehensive assessment process to quantify the full extent of road infrastructure damage across Nelson Mandela Bay following the recent floods.

“Concerning asphalt supply, the previous asphalt-related contract expired in August 2025 following the completion of its contractual term.

“The supply chain management process to appoint a new contractor for a sustained long-term asphalt service is currently under way in line with applicable procurement and governance prescripts.

“Pothole repair teams, including internal municipal teams and contracted service providers, are active on the ground attending to priority roads and identified high-risk areas.

“Roads affected by recent flooding and heavy rainfall continue to receive urgent attention, particularly along major traffic routes, public transport corridors and areas posing safety concerns to motorists and residents.”

He said recent weather conditions had accelerated the deterioration of road surfaces across multiple areas due to prolonged water penetration, flooding and stormwater-related damage.

“The municipality continues to prioritise immediate interventions while broader assessments and long-term rehabilitation plans are being finalised.”

At Gomora Shisanyama in North End, bar manager Asiphiwe Cholo said a massive pothole outside 420 Govan Mbeki Avenue had become a daily headache for motorists and businesses.

He said delivery trucks were forced to use alternative routes and traffic regularly backed up as drivers swerved around the damaged section of road or stopped after suffering punctures and vehicle damage.

Cholo said the recent heavy rains and flooding had turned many potholes into hidden hazards, with water covering damaged sections of road and catching motorists off guard.

“When it holds water, buses splash people, making them dirty.”

He said that several drivers had suffered burst tyres and costly damage after hitting potholes concealed beneath floodwater.

Greenacres taxi rank marshal Andile Ximiya slammed the city’s crumbling roads, saying they were bleeding operators dry.

“The morning queue on Addo Road near Motherwell’s Engen Garage is a nightmare,” he said.

“Trucks and taxis fight over a narrow road meant for light cars.”

Ximiya pointed to potholes, poor drainage and acidic sewage spills that “burn tyres and rust metal”, causing vehicle maintenance costs to reach at least R30,000 every two months in brake pads, gearbox and other repairs.

With fuel prices up, he said: “We are not making a profit at all. We work because we have to.

“In Gqeberha, they do not care.

“Do we even have a city manager? I do not even know what their name is.”

Despatch tyre repairman Freedom Shumba said the real menace on the roads was not nails but neglect.

With six clients weekly, he said alignment and suspension failures ruined tyres within days.

“Potholes are the cause,” Shumba said.

“With car alignment as the issue most of the time, a client can buy a tyre and within a week the tyre is finished, so the main problems we normally get are the car suspension and alignment,” Shumba said

Lapland’s Michael Tieenan said he had heard all the promises before.

“Leaking water fills the holes, making them worse.

“The metro patches them but never solves the root problem.”

Ward 8 councillor Gustav Rautenbach described Lorraine as a war zone.

“My team and I went to Dijon Road on Saturday to reinstate temporary repairs for a huge crater because that was not a pothole,” Rautenbach said.

“The municipality came later because a lady had damaged her wheel and rim, so they had to change it.

“They came after we tried to fix it, they put a cone there and hopefully by Monday they will be back.

“After the previous storms, existing potholes worsened and several new potholes developed across the ward.

“All of these issues have been reported.

“The reason for these delays is that there is currently no asphalt contract in place.”

He said he had written to the city manager’s office numerous times.

He was then referred to the infrastructure and engineering department but never received a response.

Ward 19 councillor Gamalihleli Maqula said the municipality had not had an asphalt contract for about two years.

His ward covers Kwazakhele.

He said the impact of climate change had taken a toll on Bay roads.

“Potholes are no longer potholes.

“They are something else.

“We are unable to drive our cars on the roads, especially since the recent heavy rains, and potholes are now dams in our wards.

“Community members are constantly complaining because they are paying rates, especially the business sector, but the services are not happening.

“The answer given by the municipality is that there is no contract.

“The last time they were in the ward, they used soil and rocks to close potholes.”

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