City embarks on temporary pothole repairs this winter

11 July 2025

The City of Cape Town’s Mayoral Committee Member for Urban Mobility, Councillor Rob Quintas, joined the City’s Roads Infrastructure Management team as they embarked on temporary pothole repairs in Gugulethu, Manenberg and Newlands on Wednesday, 9 July 2025.

‘During winter, and as a result of heavy and ongoing rains, water seeps into cracks on the road surface. These cracks widen, and turn into potholes that damage tyres and cause accidents. Permanent pothole repairs require dry, warm conditions, thus during the wet months, we have to do cold mix asphalt repairs. In summer, we will return to monitor the performance of the cold mix and do permanent repairs with hot mix asphalts, where needed,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Urban Mobility, Councillor Rob Quintas.

Excessive mountain run-off that includes leaves blocked drains and led to flooding in some of our areas. Whereas in Gugulethu and Manenberg, the City found that illegal dumping of tyres, rocks and even mattresses into stormwater drains increased the severity of flooding as the drains were blocked.

‘Another issue is illegal outlets or the dumping of greywater which contains chemicals that damage road surfaces and causes potholes. This greywater contains soaps, and detergents and comes from baths, clothes, dishes and car washing. Our teams are working hard to clear blocked drains and keep roads safe this winter, but we need your help. Please dispose of greywater properly through the sewer system so it can be treated and re-used, and keep it off our road surfaces. Together, we can reduce winter flooding and prevent the forming of new potholes,’ said Councillor Quintas.

Residents are encouraged to report incidents of flooding and related issues to the City’s call centre at 0860 103 089, via the City App, or alternatively via email on transport.info@capetown.gov.za.

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Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office