A reply to a Democratic Alliance (DA) parliamentary question has revealed that repair work on a sinkhole on a section of the N14 between Krugersdorp and Ventersdorp will cost an estimated R70 million. The road has been closed to the public for almost five years and it is deplorable that it has taken the Department of Transport this long to respond to the matter. 

The Department's delayed response is an example, and there are indeed many more, at the lack of real commitment by the ANC administration to deal with South Africa's decaying road infrastructure. Indeed, at the launch of Transport Month at the beginning of this month, the Minister of Transport presented his Department's grand infrastructure plans for the country yet no mention was made about what strategies would be adopted to repair the potholes on many South African roads. 
 
While the Minister of Transport, S'bu Ndebele has in the past made the right noises in promising to adopt a number of proposals, including those suggested by the DA, in eradicating potholes, these are yet to bear fruition. It is high time the Department of Transport presented clear and workable strategies aimed at getting rid of the dangerous potholes on many South African roads. 

The DA believes that the solution to tackling the infrastructure backlog is threefold:
A national road quality audit must be carried out,
A dedicated road maintenance fund be set up
A number of regulations be put in place to prevent the transportation of heavy goods on the roads.

The example of the response by the Department of Transport to the sinkhole that formed on a section of the N14 is a salient example of how the current strategies are ineffective, and of how new ideas need to be sought and implemented.
 
The Gauteng provincial administration (within whose jurisdiction the N14 falls) and the Department of Transport claim to have been unaware of the existence of this sinkhole, although traffic has been diverted from the road for almost five years. In his reply, the Minister indicated that action was taken only after the DA had made queries on the issue: "The matter has been brought to the attention of the Gauteng Province. This was done when the honourable Member made enquiries on a previous occasion in this regard."
 
It is crucial that potholes are repaired as soon as they form. The typical cost of maintaining a road, when maintenance is done timeously, is R100 000 per kilometer. If the road is left for three years, the cost rises to R600 000 and if the road is left for a further five years, it will rise to R1.8-million per kilometer. The South African National Road Agency Limited (SANRAL), whose duty it is to maintain national roads has a forty-eight hour return period on pothole repair. This ought to apply to provincial and municipal roads.
 
While it is indeed true that the road in question is a provincial road and is therefore the responsibility of the province of Gauteng, it is ultimately the Department of Transport who must ensure that South Africa has properly maintained roads. However, any measures taken by the Department towards road maintenance cannot be implemented unless a national road quality audit is undertaken.
 
The DA has repeatedly called on the Minister of Transport to carry out such an audit so that it can be made clear the exact number of kilometres of South African road in need of repair and in turn, the exact amount of money that would be required to repair them. Currently, only 4% of municipalities audit their road networks to determine their infrastructure needs. The Minister of Transport indicated that a nationwide quality audit would be undertaken and he had written to the Minister of Finance with such a proposal. However, in response to a DA parliamentary question, Minister Pravin Gordhan indicated that he had not been approached by the Minister of Transport with such a suggestion. 
 
Once a quality audit is performed, a dedicated road maintenance fund must be set up for the specific purpose for road maintenance. Once again, Minister Ndebele indicated that he was ‘considering' creating such a fund. This has also not been followed by the requisite action.
 
Not only has a giant sinkhole formed on the N14, but the road is also littered with potholes, because it is used by often overloaded trucks transporting heavy goods. According to a study by the CSIR Transportek, the annual damage to the network of provincial and national roads caused by overloading was estimated in the mid 1990s to be R450-millon per annum. At today's prices, this figure would be between R700 and R800-million per annum. Together with the implementation of regulations for certain categories of goods to be transported by rail, it is imperative that the following regulations be put in place.

The maximum permitted axle weight and length of vehicles be reduced in conjunction with international norms
More weighbridges be allocated to local municipalities and provinces
A punitive tax be imposed on freight en-route where rail services exist
Heavier punishment for habitual overloading offenders
It is essential that the proposals as suggested are implemented by the Department of Transport. Too many South Africans have lost their lives as a result of unsafe road conditions and it is time that the talk is backed with action. This week, the DA in the Free State embarked on a petition for the improvement of the quality of the provinces roads. We may begin a similar petition nationally should the Minister of Transport fail to act.