MINISTRY FOR COOPERATIVE GOVERNANCE AND TRADITIONAL AFFAIRS
REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
QUESTIONS FOR WRITTEN
QUESTION NUMBER 2015/585
DATE OF PUBLICATION: 11 MARCH 2016
Mr I M Ollis (DA) to ask the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional
Affairs:
Whether, with reference to his reply to question 4185 on 21 December 2015, his department
has received the outstanding information, if not, why not, if so, when will the specified
information be made available?
NW691E
REPLY:
With reference to the question of 21 December 2015 a request was made to all Metropolitan
Municipalities to provide the relevant information as per the question. Most Metropolitan
Municipalities responded to the request and those outstanding committed to provide the
information when it is available.
The original question 4185 was and the following Metropolitan Municipalities replied:
Whether any of the metropolitan municipalities measure the average time it takes to fix
(a) potholes, (b) street lights and (c) traffic lights; if not, why not; if so, (i) which metros,
(ii) what is the average time in each case, (iii) how is this measured and (iv) what is
the specified municipality doing to improve performance in this area?
The information was provided by the respective Metropolitan Municipalties:
NAME OF
METROPOLITAN
MUNICIPALITY
Buffalo City
Nelson Mandela
Bay
(a)
(b)
(c)
(potholes)
(street lights)
(traffic lights)
The BCMM attend to pothole fixing within seven
97) working days after receipt of report subject to
availability of material, resources and weather
permitting.
Response to street light repairs is informed by the
assessment of the actual problem. Sometimes
normal street light failure takes one (1) or two (2)
days to repair whilst rea fault takes seven (7)
days to repair
All traffic signal faults are attended to immediately
upon receipt (depending on staff being available
and weather permitting). The roadway is cleared
of debris and installation made electrically safe.
Where possible the damage or fault is isolated
and the signals can operate while the full repair is
being completed. Normal Traffic light faults within
two days of being reported (In most instances
signals are repaired within one day). The
response times above are under normal failure
conditions and not vandalism, theft or illegal
connections. An SMS service is used to improve
repair times
A job card is opened when the complaint is received and closed after repairs are completed. Records of work done are kept to inform plans to cascade
them to lower levels. The Ward based volunteers are used in line with EPWP principles on remuneration and use of private contractors to supplement the
internal capacity as and when need arises.
ii.




Time taken to repair a single pothole bigger
than 1m² on a major road is 55 minutes per
m²;
Time taken to repair a single pothole smaller
than 1m² on a major road is 35 minutes per
m²;
Time taken to repair a single pothole on a
minor road is 35 minutes per pothole;
Time taken to repair a road following an
open trench service crossing is 35-55
NAME OF
METROPOLITAN
MUNICIPALITY


City of Tshwane
City of Joburg
Ekurhuleni
(a)
(b)
(c)
(potholes)
(street lights)
(traffic lights)
minutes per m² - depending on material in
trench;
Time taken to repair walkways (concrete) is
105 minutes per m²;
Time taken to repair walkways (asphalt) is
35 minutes per m².
ii. The target time is 48 hours
ii. The target time is 48 hours
ii. The target time is 48 hours
iii. The road maintenance tasks are measured through IMIS: TASKER system;
The response time is measured in terms of time taken from the time identified or reported;
iv. Standby teams have been established to deal with after-hours reported complaints;
(i) The CoJ does measure the average time it
(i) The CoJ does measure the response time it i. The CoJ does measure the response time it
takes to fix potholes.
takes to fix streetlights.
takes to fix streetlights.
(ii) The average response time for fixing a
(ii) The average time is a day after the defected ii. The average turnaround time to repair traffic
pothole is (6.21 days).
streetlight has been identified or reported.
lights is 9 days.
iii. The response time for potholes is measured through the Hansen, the Johannesburg Road Agency (JRA) performance management system;
The streets get inspected during the day and night to identify those that that are not working, which is then followed with repairs are done to defective
lights;
The clock starts from recording of the event in the system up until physical repair is performed.
iv. The JRA focuses on a Road Resurfacing programme that will minimise the number of potholes and increase the value of our roads. In addition, the JRA
has set quarterly targets which are aimed at reducing the number of potholes and Agency responds to the calls logged by the customers and attempt to
resolve the calls within the 3 days turnaround time;
Various resources have been allocated to repair vandalized streetlights in the main arterial routes, secondary routes and in the low-cost cost areas;
The CoJ field crews are working daily on the maintenance of traffic lights.
(ii) The average time it takes to respond differs (ii) The average time it takes to fix non(ii) The repair of any traffic light fault in a major
functioning
street
lights
is
3
days.
as follows:
road (subject to electrical supply available) is
4 hours;
 Non-functional street lights are logged into
 Repair a single pothole – in major road –
the Customer Relations Management (CRM)
24 hours.
 The repair of any traffic light fault in a
System. The logged complaints are
minor road (subject to electrical supply
 Repair a single pothole – in minor road –
NAME OF
METROPOLITAN
MUNICIPALITY
Mangaung
City of Cape
Town
(a)
(b)
(c)
(potholes)
(street lights)
(traffic lights)
5 working days.
attended to and as-and-when completed,
available) – 24 hours
they are closed on the CRM System with
 Repair a road following an open trench
actual date.
service crossing – 5 working days.
 Repair/replace a kerb inlet – 20 working
days.
 Repair walkways – 10 working days.
iii.
EMM uses Engineering Management Information System (EMIS);
Non-functional street lights are logged into the Customer Relations Management (CRM) System. The logged complaints are attended to and as-and-when
completed, they are closed on the CRM System with actual date; The Metro measures the response by using Engineering Management Information
System (EMIS);
iv.
The Roads and Stormwater Department within the EMM has put up measures in place for the following: road rehabilitation, pothole signage and
road marking and bitumen tar products to supplement and assist Department Depot;
EMM has increased capacity through the appointment of as-and-when required capacity to assist the Metro in reducing the average response time to keep
the Metro lit;
The Roads and Stormwater Department has put measures in place for the following: road rehabilitation, pothole signage and road marking and bitumen tar
products to supplement and assist Department Depot.
ii. The targeted turn-around time for fixing
ii. there is not specific turn-around time to fix
ii. the targeted time to fix traffic lights is 4 hours
portholes is 5 days;
streetlights
iii. It is measured by the electronic Customer Relationship Management (CRM) System used by the Municipal Call Centre. The measurement is taken
from the time the customer reports a complaint to the Call Centre when the complaint is logged into the CRM System and allocated a reference number
until such time that the relevant service delivery unit closes the complaint with the Call Centre on the electronic CRM System.
At this stage we are busy rolling out the CRM System to the relevant service delivery units which in effect mean that all the service delivery units are in the
process of implementing the system.
iv. Additional vehicles and SUV’s have been ordered to assist the Traffic Signs Division. Contractors were appointed for some areas and their performance
can be measured with the implementation of SMART streetlight systems, performance and repairs can be measured.
The average time to fix traffic lights is 6 to 12
Potholes are made safe within 24 hours after
The average time to fix single streetlights is 14
report received from the Roads Department.
days but normally done within 48 hours.
hours.
Final repair depends on the class of road and this
can take between 1 and 5 days subject to
departmental priority schedule.
NAME OF
METROPOLITAN
MUNICIPALITY
eThekweni
(a)
(b)
(c)
(potholes)
(street lights)
(traffic lights)
Potholes are measured by analysing customer complaints and fault reporting systems. The fixing of streetlights are measured in days and by the amount
of streetlights out and the fixing of traffic lights are measured by the fault reporting system.
Ongoing training and internal performance reviews are implemented. Maintenance is becoming pro-active and the department performs block replacement
of luminaires to mitigate luminaire end-of-life failures.
ii. the average time to fix a simple lamp outage
ii. 14 days
is 2 days and when cables are stolen the
average time is 5 days
(iii)Work requests are received from the public via the City’s customer call centre, via work orders from service providers and from scheduled inspections.
The process is measured from request to closure.
(iv) The system is monitored by management with a view to improve performance.