The South African National Road Agency Limited (Sanral) has launched a new app that allows motorists to report potholes on municipal and provincial roads for repair by the government.
According to a report by BusinessTech, the Sanral Pothole app is part of Operation Vala Zonke – a programme organized by the Department of Transport to address potholes across all spheres of government.
The app is now available for download on Android and iOS devices from the Google Play store and Apple App store, respectively.
Potholes fixed in 48 hours
The new Sanral Pothole app allows members of the public to upload pictures of potholes and provide real-time location data to an interactive map where they can keep track of various roads.
“The information then gets assigned to the relevant authority, depending on where the road is, and the maintenance depot responsible for that road attends to fixing the pothole,” said transport minister Fikile Mbalula.
It will also provide status updates on issues raised using a pothole ticketing system, and Mbalula said that a policy is in place that requires Sanral to fix “any reported potholes within 48 hours.”
Sanral will be monitoring and assessing the effectiveness of the app interventions for the next six months, producing audit reports on the work taken and the turnaround time for attending to a pothole.
“While national roads are overwhelmingly in a pristine condition, we recognize that provincial and municipal roads require a decisive strategy and active support to augment capacity gaps,” said Sanral.
The programme will be replicated across the country, with Premiers and MECs leading their respective provincial launches, said the minister.
The government is calling on private companies, communities, and other stakeholders to support efforts at preserving and improving road infrastructure.
“Potholes have remained a problem and have posed a danger to road users throughout the country,” said Mbalula.
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