Traffic lights have been out for 2 years in South Africa’s richest province

The Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport is in hot water after the Democratic Alliance (DA) reported it for possible maladministration after the department failed to fix broken traffic signals for 2 years.

The party urged the Public Protector to investigate after the department admitted that it failed to meet its own minimum standards for repairing traffic signals despite an annual budget of more than R10 billion.

Gauteng MEC for Roads and Transport, Kedibone Diale-Tlabela, revealed this in written replies to the DA’s questions tabled in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL).

“The MEC admitted that the department has failed to repair five high-risk intersections within its own targeted timeframe of one to seven days,” said the DA.

“Shockingly, these traffic signals have been out of commission for extended periods, with some failures dating back to November 2024.”

In her replies, the MEC confirmed the following intersections have been out of order for years:

• Great North Road (R23) has been non-operational since November 2024.
• Atlas Road (M43) has been non-operational since January 2025.
• 3rd Avenue (M32) has been non-operational since March 2025.
• High Road (R23) has been non-operational since November 2024.
• Pomona Road (R32) has been non-operational since February 2025.

According to the DA, all of these intersections were classified as “high-risk”, which means they should have received attention within 24 hours and repairs completed within seven days.

“Every day, traffic signals remain non-operational, exposing motorists and pedestrians to potentially dangerous intersections. These failures can result in devastating road carnage,” it said.

In her responses, the MEC blamed shortages and widespread theft and vandalism of traffic signals for failing to meet the seven-day repair standards.

“While vandalism and theft are serious challenges, they cannot become a permanent excuse for the government’s failure to maintain essential road-safety infrastructure,” added the DA.

“Even more concerning is the MEC’s admission that the department lacks a dedicated formal inspection programme focused on traffic signals that have been non-operational for extended periods.”

Gauteng has started modernising its traffic lights

In August, the Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport announced launching a drive to repair and modernise the province’s traffic lights, which it expects to take 3 years to complete.

The department has already intensified repairs, restoration, maintenance, and upgrades of traffic signals at priority intersections across the provincial road network.

It has also identified priority intersections, including several in the Greater Johannesburg area and Ekurhuleni, but excluding Pretoria and surrounds.

Diale-Tlabela said the programme will be implemented over the next 36 months and will focus on restoring vandalised infrastructure, modernising existing traffic signals, and strengthening their protection and management.

Currently, there are more than 4,500 signalised intersections in the province, but the Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport is responsible for only 547.

Restoration work has already begun at several priority intersections, while further interventions have been planned across key development corridors and strategic routes.

The department said that the programme represents a significant ongoing effort to modernise the province’s traffic signal infrastructure by utilising the latest technology.

It is also addressing other persistent challenges, including cable theft, infrastructure vandalism, illegal connections, and damage caused by vehicle collisions.

MEC Diale-Tlabela added that public infrastructure theft and vandalism place an unnecessary financial burden on the province’s finances through costly repairs and restoration.

She said that criminal acts targeting road infrastructure directly impact communities and commuters.

“These criminal acts affect every commuter, every motorist and every community that depends on safe and reliable roads and public transport systems,” concluded the MEC