The Pothole Patrol, a partnership between the City of Johannesburg (CoJ), Discovery Insure and Dialdirect Insurance, has repaired more than 100,000 potholes since its launch in May 2021, said Executive Mayor, Councillor Dr Mpho Phalatse. “The City of Johannesburg is proud to partner with Discovery Insure and Dialdirect Insurance to ensure that our roads are of a good quality and safe,” said Dr Phalatse. “As we build a city of golden opportunities, we must get the basics right, and this includes repairing and maintaining aged infrastructure. We will only build Joburg with the help of businesses, residents, and other spheres of government. “Potholes have many causes, including poor road maintenance, water logging and blocked stormwater drains, and inadequate capacity to expeditiously respond to the new potholes that keep popping up, not least with the very high and unseasonal levels of rainfall experienced in Gauteng.” “While the unprecedented wet weather unfortunately exacerbated the already dire pothole situation in Johannesburg, and an unexpected bitumen shortage has caused a few delays, we’ve successfully managed to exceed our mandated repair target by 25 per cent, month-on-month. We have also increased our repair fleet and employed additional resources to help manage the increased number of reports,” said Anneli Retief, Head of Dialdirect. Anton Ossip, CEO of Discovery Insure, says that the introduction of The Pothole Patrol in Johannesburg has paid dividends in the form of reduced pothole-related insurance claims in Johannesburg. “In March, we announced that the benefits of this initiative are evident in Discovery Insure data which shows a 26 per cent reduction in pothole-related claims in Johannesburg, compared to an increase of 45 per cent across the rest of Gauteng,” said Ossip. “The Pothole Patrol continues to receive an influx of reports via our app. Unfortunately, we have noted repeated damage reports for certain areas, and this is often caused by underlying water damage. While intermittent, superficial repairs are undertaken, we are sure motorists navigating these intersections will agree that a more permanent solution is needed.”
