A dedicated team from Discovery’s Pothole Patrol initiative repairs potholes daily in Johannesburg, having fixed over 330,000 since 2021 in partnership with the City of Joburg and Joburg Roads Agency. Supervisor Kgotso Pule says, “I feel like Superman, I save lives every day.” The effort addresses a problem where over 980 potholes are reported weekly.
Eight mobile Pothole Patrol teams operate daily from 9am to 3.30pm across Johannesburg, cleaning, sealing, and filling potholes reported via an app. Residents submit photos and details, inspectors verify, and teams respond. In one instance on Victoria Avenue in Melrose, a team tackled 40 potholes over 500m. Each team fills 15 to 20 potholes per day using European technology that heats existing tarmac for binding, achieving a 0.2% failure rate, according to CEO Tatum de Lange. She explains, “Tarmac is like skin, it dries out in the sun and rain, and it needs to be moisturised.” The process involves barricading the site, removing debris, applying sealant, heating, and adding new tar. Team members express passion for the work. Supervisor Kgotso Pule feels like Superman saving lives. Inspector Busisiwe Mbewe, with five years on the project, calls it her “little baby” and recounts staying late to fix an extra pothole on William Nicol to prevent accidents. Jan Makwela, also five years in, says, “Let’s burn,” while firing the heating machine, adding, “We are saving lives. People appreciate us.” Broader context from the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) shows over 980 potholes reported weekly on its 13,599km network. From July to December last year, 23,572 were reported and 20,302 fixed, excluding Pothole Patrol efforts. Potholes form from water erosion under roads no larger than one square metre, costing R700 to R1,500 each to repair. JRA spokesperson Lucia Mhlanga cites ageing infrastructure, excavations, heavy traffic, overloading, and weather as causes. The agency conducts Visual Road Condition Index assessments every three years and has budgeted R149-million for potholes in 2025/26 out of R912.8-million for ageing roads.
