By Cllr Tlangi Mogale
MMC for Roads & Transport
The Executive Mayor of Tshwane, Dr Nasiphi Moya, together with the Deputy
Executive Mayor and Finance MMC, Cllr Eugene Modise, and the MMC for Roads and Transport, Cllr Tlangi Mogale, presided over the official handover of the new jetpatchers and the certification of
trained officials at Bella Ombre Depot in Tshwane today.
The Executive Mayor of Tshwane, Dr Nasiphi Moya, together with the Deputy
Executive Mayor and Finance MMC, Cllr Eugene Modise, and the MMC for Roads and Transport, Cllr Tlangi Mogale hand over new jetpatchers
They were joined by Members of the
Mayoral Committee and senior officials in recognition of this important milestone.
The City of Tshwane has taken a decisive step to strengthen its war on potholes
ahead of the upcoming rainy season, a period during which road deterioration
accelerates, and maintenance backlogs deepen.
The acquisition of 2 new jetpatchers valued at R7.6 million, together with the certification of 28 municipal officials who have completed a specialised pothole repair training programme, marks a major boost to the City’s capacity to respond rapidly and effectively to road damage.
Jetpatchers are high-efficiency road maintenance machines that clean, fill, and seal potholes in a single continuous process.
They use compressed air to clear debris,
apply binding emulsion, and then layer stone chips before sealing the patch.
This method produces a durable repair that is both quicker and more cost effective than traditional techniques. Depending on conditions, a single jetpatcher can patch between 3 and 5 kilometres of road surface per day, making it a critical asset for tackling the City’s maintenance backlog at scale.
This investment not only modernises the City’s maintenance fleet but also directly enhances internal engineering capability.
The upskilling of 28 officials, part of a broader programme to retrain all roads maintenance personnel, ensures that the
new machinery will be operated to the highest technical standard, improving repair quality, speed, and longevity.
Over the past year, Tshwane has made measurable progress in restoring the road network.
The City resurfaced over 220 km of roads through reactive maintenance, completed 78 km of proactive resurfacing to prevent deterioration,and repaired 14 072 of the 18 067 potholes reported: achieving a 78% completion rate.
The new jetpatchers will significantly accelerate this work and enable the City to make a meaningful dent in the
remaining backlog.
To support intensified operations, the City has allocated R43 million for road repairs in the current financial year, prioritising regions 3 and 6 where backlogs remain most severe.
Once stabilised, the focus will shift to expanding proactive maintenance and restoring road markings.
The City of Tshwane remains committed to rebuilding internal capacity,modernising
its maintenance operations, and delivering a safer, more reliable, and economically enabling road network for all communities.
The deployment of new equipment and
the professional development of staff stand as key steps in building an increasingly resilient, well-maintained capital city road system.
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