The DA in Gauteng has urged roads and logistics MEC Kedibone Diale-Tlabela to reallocate departmental funds to repair broken traffic lights in SA’s economic hub, an ambitious project estimated to cost R176.4m.
DA roads and logistics shadow MEC Evert du Plessis said only 77 out of 196 broken traffic lights in province will be fixed due to insufficient budget. This despite the provincial government department allocating an additional R80m to repair broken and vandalised traffic lights.
“This means while less than 40% of traffic lights get repaired, 119 lights will be left vandalised and broken, putting the lives of our residents who use these routes at risk, as they will be exposed not only to more accidents but become prone to acts of crime such as hijacking and muggings,” Du Plessis said.
In March, Gauteng finance MEC Lebogang Maile allocated R9.7bn to the roads and transport department for 2025/26, which increases to R28bn over the medium-term expenditure framework.
The budget would not be adequate to deal with the crisis. “Out of 547 traffic lights owned by the department, 196 are non-functional. Based on the available budget the remaining traffic lights will be fixed subject to the availability of funds,” Du Plessis said.
“In a reply to the DA Gauteng’s questions posed in the Gauteng provincial legislature, the department requires a total of R176.4m to fix all the broken traffic lights owned by the GPG [Gauteng provincial government].
“While the MEC is in the process of engaging Treasury to source extra funding for fixing traffic lights, we urge her to continue the engagement. We also suggest that the MEC consider a public-private partnership to assist with the repair and maintenance of traffic lights.”
In March, President Cyril Ramaphosa spoke out against recurring problems pertaining to governance failures, financial mismanagement, crumbling infrastructure, crime and unreliable service delivery during his oversight visit to Gauteng.
He led a national executive delegation, which met the Gauteng provincial executive as part of efforts aimed at improving service delivery in the province, which contributes nearly 40% to GDP but is dogged by high unemployment, violent crime, vandalism of infrastructure, poor roads, electricity and water networks, corruption, and poor service delivery.
Du Plessis pointed out that underspending on the allocated budget had been the norm in this department, “and money has been returned to the Treasury every financial year”.
“We suggest that MEC Diale-Tlabela should prioritise shifting funds within the department to accommodate pressing issues such as traffic lights. The DA Gauteng demands that the MEC immediately work with the Gauteng department of community safety to ensure that the traffic lights are safeguarded and not vandalised for the copper to be sold to scrap yards.”
Diale-Tlabela’s spokesperson, Lesiba Mpya, has been approached for comment, which will be added once received.
In September 2024, the SA National Roads Agency (Sanral) announced it was injecting at least R50bn into the economy for road maintenance and upgrades.
Sanral has been on a campaign to improve SA’s roads, including refurbishment, rehabilitation and the eradication of potholes.
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