DURBAN - MORE than 200 cases with a liability value of R14.47 million have been lodged against the Department of Transport because some roads were in a poor condition.
One road, in particular, the R74 stretch between Bergville and Winterton in KwaZulu-Natal, was riddled with potholes.
Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula was responding to parliamentary questions sent by the DA’s Uthukela constituency head councillor, Alf Lees.
He asked Mbalula to reveal the details of all road user claims for damage to vehicles caused by road faults such as potholes during the 2020/21 financial year and during the period between April 1 and July 31, 2021.
Mbalula said 216 cases with a liability value of R14.47m were lodged for pothole claims during the 2020/21 financial year. Of the 216 cases, 13 had values above R100 000 and two of the 13 were valued at R3.8m and R6m.
He said 138 cases with a liability value of R5.764m were lodged during the period between April 1 and July 31, 2021. Seven of the 138 cases were above the value of R100 000 and one case from the seven was valued at R2.444m.
Mbalula said the claims against the state function were not decentralised to district offices but were centralised to the head office. Four officials administrate, process and report on pothole cases for the entire department.
The R74 is set to be rehabilitated. The road has claimed many lives over the years in the Okhahlamba Local Municipality.
Mbalula said the maintenance of the road would be carried out with a budget allocated for the 2021/22 financial year.
Mbalula said: “The R74 (P11) was planned and executed during the 2020/21 financial year with a total budget of R50 459 641.96 for the rehabilitation of 10km. The total for this rehabilitation is R48 754 173.60.
“The next phase of the rehabilitation is starting from km 11.000 to km 33.000 and will be executed through the engineer, procure and construct approach. This contract has been planned for the 2022/23 financial year with a total budget of R175 479 150.”
Mbalula said the patching of potholes was expected to start by Novem - ber this year.
On Wednesday, Lees said it was incredible that the department could pull out all those statistics and the huge amount of money paid for damages claims instead of spending the money on repairing the road and not having damage claims.
Ward councillor Mxolisi Vilakazi said there had been crashes on the R74 recently and they would be happy if the road was resurfaced.
In June this year, six people died when a minibus taxi and bakkie crashed on the R74. In October 2018, seven people were killed and 11 were left injured when a truck and minibus taxi crashed.
Daily News