Pretoria - The City of Tshwane today launched a campaign aimed at fixing the city's potholes within 24 hours of them being reported.
Launching the campaign in Sunderland, west of Pretoria, Member of the Mayoral Committee responsible for Transport and Roads, George Matjila, said the city has declared war against potholes.
"The city has given the issue of potholes a priority in ensuring that it becomes a pothole-free city," Matjila said.
He said 99 percent of potholes in Sunderland had already been fixed. "The more potholes we fix, the more jobs we create."
Matjila told BuaNews that the city has prioritised potholes as they impact negatively on business. "In some instances, potholes cause accidents as cars always [swerve] trying to avoid them, resulting in accidents."
The city has also launched a website where members of the public can report potholes in their areas.
According to Matjila, the potholes will be fixed within 24 hours of them being reported.
In his state of the city address in March, Tshwane mayor Kgosientso Ramokgopa announced that the city will ensure all potholes are fixed.
Earlier this year, the Department of Transport announced that it had set aside R22 billion over the next three years to plug potholes on South African roads.
At the time, it said the S'hamba Sonke programme will create about 70 000 job opportunities across the country in the 2011/12 financial year.
In partnership with all provinces, the programme will improve access to schools, clinics and other social and economic opportunities by drastically upgrading secondary road networks and repairing potholes throughout the country.