Revealed: the deplorable state of SA’s roads

Recent research has revealed the treacherous state of the roads in South Africa – and the Road Freight Association (RFA) is alarmed at these findings.

In a recently released report titled “South Africa’s Road Construction Industry – A Regional Look” by consulting company Frost & Sullivan, it was stated that more than half (54%) of the country’s unpaved road network is in poor to very poor condition, while about a third (30%) of the paved network is in poor to very poor condition. The internationally accepted norm is that not more than 10% of a road network should be described as “poor to very poor”.

The steady and continual downward trend of the condition of the country’s roads needs to be reversed as a matter of urgency, says Gavin Kelly, Chief Executive Officer of the RFA. “A well-maintained road network is critical for South Africa. Roads are the arteries of the country – allowing people and goods to move for business, career, pleasure or personal reasons. They are crucial to the development of any nation and are the foundation to alleviating poverty and facilitating the move of individuals to better lives (where there are better opportunities),” he points out.

He believes that it is wrong to think that the only roads that matter are the beautiful multi-lane national roads: “While they are, of course, exceptionally important, the rural infrastructure is what gets all of the agricultural, mining and first-level manufactured goods to the processing/manufacturing centres. Without these roads – and many of these are dirt (gravel) roads – we will not be able to feed ourselves.

“Within towns and cities, the road networks allow greater movement of society (for all the reasons mentioned earlier), as well as for the movement of crucial items, including medical supplies, security, infrastructure maintenance and support.”

Kelly says that maintenance of roads has been a long-festering sore in the eyes of the public – especially in regard to the question of the e-toll Gauteng Freeway Improvement Programme (GFIP). “Roads MUST be maintained. Once they fall into disrepair, the rate of accidents will increase, the cost of maintenance will spiral (and in the freight sector those costs will be passed on to the consumer – there is no other choice) and the reliability of many services (eg. Ambulance, police, fire services, electricity maintenance) will be nil. They just won’t happen!” he cautions.

So, what needs to happen in order to fix this dire situation? “Authorities must be held accountable for the roads under their care, for the allocation of funds for roads which they receive (but is often spent elsewhere for whatever reason) and the use of those funds in the road network.

“Roads should be funded by the general fuel levy (GFL). If this levy had been applied solely to roads in the manner required many years ago, this would have ensured that periodic maintenance would occur and we would not have such ‘devastated’ roads as we now experience. As at April 2021, the GFL was R3,93 per litre, or approximately 23% of the retail price of petrol. It is estimated that the GFL will deliver R86-billion to the treasury to be applied as the Minister sees fit.”

Furthermore, he believes that the fuel levy should be ringfenced and allocated to the SA National Roads Agency Ltd (SANRAL). “This agency can hold various road authorities accountable, while also providing expertise, assistance in identifying reliable road contractors and engineering support. The Portfolio Committee on Transport and a public oversight body (similar to the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) but not a State-Owned Entity) should then hold the Minister of Transport accountable for the state of the roads and ensure that the maintenance, repair and development occur as required,” he says.