Cape Town - While driving the latest vehicle on the market is every motorist's dream, the state of South African roads can have you crashing back to reality.
The state of the nation’s roads is appalling and every motorist knows the face they make when they hit a pothole.
Many may not know this, but you can claim damages from your local municipality for damages to your vehicle as a result of a pothole.
According to the City of Cape Town, it has fixed approximately 8 112 potholes from January to August.
Potholes are generally a secondary form of distress that develops from cracking or extreme loss of aggregate, and progress from the top of the road downwards. They are traffic-induced and normally develop from structural cracking in the wheel paths. Moisture enters into the pavement, resulting in potholes.
According to the City of Cape Town’s mayco member for urban mobility, Councillor Rob Quintas, the majority of potholes form during the rainy season.
“It must be noted that the majority of potholes form in the wet or rainy season. When it rains and the water accumulates on the road, tyres from the vehicles actually squeeze the water into the road pavement layer.
“The repeated pump action between the road surface and the tyres of the vehicles causes the road to crack. Water gets through the cracks and weakens the pavement layers, which in turn leads to more cracking, and eventually a pothole forms.
“It must further be noted that, due to practical reasons, especially in winter, we often do temporary repairs on potholes as a holding action until more favourable, drier weather conditions allow for a more permanent repair.
“Permanent repairs will not be effectively achieved when a road or the base layers underneath the road are still wet,” Quintas said.
The temporary repairs consist of infilling the pothole with coldmix.
The permanent repair would entail cutting the existing road surface around the pothole, preparing the base course, applying a tack coat to the prepared base course, and finally, placing the hot premix.
How can residents report potholes?
Residents across the City of Cape Town can report potholes in their areas to the Transport Information Centre on 080 065 6463.
This is a 24/7 information centre and is toll-free from a landline or cellphone.
Alternatively, residents can email Transport.Info@capetown.gov.za
When reporting, residents are reminded to include their name, contact number and the exact location of the pothole.
The City of Cape Town’s mayoral committee member for finance, Councillor Siseko Mbandezi explained how residents can go about claiming for damages incurred due to potholes.
“Residents may submit a claim application to the City of Cape Town’s Insurance Claims Section for compensation by completing a public liability claim form and providing all supporting information,” Mbandezi said.
This includes, but is not limited to:
- Submit invoices of costs incurred with respect to repairs made to the vehicle
- Quotations in respect of estimated costs of reasonable repairs to the vehicle
- Photographs of the pothole or road surface defect
- Pictures of the material damage to the vehicle
“It is important to note that each claim is assessed on its own merit, which includes assessment of whether there has been any negligence or omission on the City’s side.
“Once the City has received the resident’s claim form or formal correspondence, a reference number will be provided for all future liaison.
“Depending on the complexity of the investigation into the circumstances that gave rise to the incident, in some instances claims can take up to three months to conclude,” Mbandezi said.
To access the liability claim residents can visit the City of Cape Town website: http://www.capetown.gov.za/City-Connect/Claim-or-dispute/Complaints-and-claims-against-the-City/Submit-a-claim-against-the-City
robin.francke@inl.co.za
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