Officials from the City of Cape Town have undertaken temporary pothole repairs in Gugulethu, Manenberg and Newlands, as wet conditions persist.
“During winter, and as a result of heavy and ongoing rains, water seeps into cracks on the road surface. These cracks widen, and turn into potholes that damage tyres and cause accidents.
“Permanent pothole repairs require dry, warm conditions, thus during the wet months, we have to do cold mix asphalt repairs.
“In summer, we will return to monitor the performance of the cold mix and do permanent repairs with hot mix asphalts, where needed,” said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Urban Mobility, Rob Quintas.
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Quintas joined the city’s Roads Infrastructure Management team this week as they embarked on temporary pothole repairs.
Excessive mountain run-off has also led to flooding in some areas. In Gugulethu and Manenberg, the city found that illegal dumping of household items into stormwater drains increased the severity of flooding, as the drains were blocked.
“Another issue is illegal outlets or the dumping of greywater which contains chemicals that damage road surfaces and causes potholes. This greywater contains detergents and comes from baths, clothes, dishes and car washing.
“Our teams are working hard to clear blocked drains and keep roads safe this winter, but we need your help.
“Please dispose of greywater properly through the sewer system so it can be treated and re-used, and keep it off our road surfaces. Together, we can reduce winter flooding and prevent the forming of new potholes,” said Quintas.
Residents are encouraged to report incidents of flooding and related issues to the city’s call centre at 0860 103 089, via the City App, or alternatively via email on transport.info@capetown.gov.za. – SAnews.gov.za
