With the local government elections drawing closer, the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality has launched an accelerated pothole repair campaign, promising to tackle deteriorating roads across all 60 wards while dismissing suggestions that the initiative is an election campaign.
The Fill Up the Bay programme was officially launched in Perseverance on Monday.
Contractors were already busy filling up a massive pothole at the corner of Chelsea Road and Kurland Street in the morning.
Half of the R61m budget will go towards pothole repairs.
The remaining amount will fund repairs of stormwater infrastructure, roads, damaged pipes and blocked drainage systems.
Roads and stormwater superintendent Yongamela Ntaka outlined plans to deploy 12 contractors to fast-track pothole repairs across the metro.
“Our internal teams alone could not keep up with the volume of work, which is why contractors have been appointed and allocated to different zones,” Ntaka said.
“We have already started work in several areas, including Despatch, KwaDwesi and other communities, and we are moving as fast as we can, weather permitting, because there are lots of potholes.”
Ntaka said work would eventually cover all 60 wards, with operations already under way in about 12.
“We are also creating employment opportunities by involving local service providers and at least three members of the communities where the work is taking place.
“I have my colleagues doing the same in the other wards.”
Mayor Babalwa Lobishe said the municipality had also prioritised repairs to sewer pump stations, stormwater drains and damaged road infrastructure in affected communities.
“We are now in a position to move ahead with this accelerated campaign because we want to get ahead of the backlog,” she said.
“The objective is to ensure this project runs smoothly and that roads affected by potholes are refurbished as quickly as possible.”
Lobishe said the municipality was unable to provide an exact estimate of the total road surface to be repaired as the scope of work would only be determined after assessing each street individually.
She rejected claims that the project was timed to coincide with the upcoming elections, insisting the campaign was aimed at addressing long-standing infrastructure challenges.
“This is not an election tour,” Lobishe said.
“We are running a programme to stop the continued deterioration of our roads and accelerate service delivery.
“Every cluster has a contractor assigned to it, every street has been accounted for, and we are monitoring the work daily to ensure contractors deliver what they have been appointed to do.”
However, not everyone was convinced by the timing.
A Veeplaas resident, who declined to be named, questioned why road repairs were only gaining momentum ahead of the elections.
“They are fixing the roads only now when we must vote,” the resident said.
“There has been dirty water all over the place for a long time and people have been complaining.
“We hope this work continues after the elections because these problems have been affecting us every day.”
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