Avoid Easter Weekend Tragedies: Beware of Deadly Potholes on South African Roads

• Potholes are a significant problem in South Africa, causing car damage and threatening motorists' lives.
• A viral TikTok post highlighted the issue, with the video showing a particularly large pothole in Maraisburg that punctured two wheels on a car
• The South African National Roads Agency (Sanral) has launched a campaign called Vala Zonke to repair potholes, allowing the public to report them

Potholes have plagued South African roads for a long time. With many people travelling between cities this Easter weekend, a TikTok post was a timely reminder to be on the lookout for them. The man in the video was talking about one in Maraisburg. So big it punctured two wheels on a car.

Viral TikTok raises awareness about dangerous potholes

It's easy to miss them while driving in the dark, but sometimes, hitting a pothole could be the difference between life and death. You can watch the man's commentary in the post below:

How bad are potholes in South Africa?

South Africa is facing a significant problem with potholes, which cause billions of rands in car damage and threaten motorists' lives.

According to The Citizen, Last year, Mutshutshu Nxumalo, a former president of the South African Roads Federation, claimed that there were over 25 million potholes on South African roads. However, the South African National Roads Agency (Sanral) disputes this figure, stating that it would represent an improbable and unlikely average of 149 potholes per kilometre of paved roads out of 168,000 kilometres.

Sanral is now leading a national campaign called Vala Zonke to repair potholes, which has allowed members of the public to report just under 27 000 potholes via apps and the internet. Of those reported, only 618 were on national roads, all fixed within 48 hours. Unfortunately, provincial and municipal authorities have not been as energetic in dealing with potholes as Sanral.

These unsightly road hazards not only portray South Africa as a Third World country but also cause damage to wheels and tires, negatively impacting the economy. Therefore, it is crucial to rid the country of this curse by fixing the potholes.

Checkers Sixty60 delivery guy flips over motorbike

In other stories, Briefly News reported that a Cape Town Checkers delivery guy accidentally flipped his bike over while presumably trying to reverse. The video post by @unclewp gained over 600k views at publishing and showed another civilian rushing to the driver's aid as he could have been injured from the incident.

@Savannah Anderson said:

"My heart is broken. I hope he is ok. He is working hard for his family. Please God bless him and maybe we can start a gofundme for him please."