By Loxion News Staff Writer
Johannesburg – Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi’s government is facing growing pressure over road maintenance failures, after it was revealed that the Department of Roads and Logistics is fighting 988 legal cases related to unsafe road conditions – with taxpayers footing a R199 million bill in legal costs and settlements over the past five years.
The shocking statistics were disclosed by Gauteng MEC for Roads and Logistics, Kedibone Diale-Tlabela, in a written reply to questions tabled by the Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL).
According to the reply, the department has been found liable in 145 cases, most of them linked to potholes and unsafe road surfaces. The legal payouts include:
- R69,2 million spent on legal costs.
- R43 million paid for injuries caused by unsafe roads.
- R86,9 million in out-of-court settlements.
This means that in the last financial year alone, of the R422,5 million budget allocated for road maintenance, R82,3 million was diverted to legal costs instead of fixing roads.
“This is unacceptable, as the maintenance of some roads was placed on hold, risking lives and damaging vehicles,” said DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Roads and Logistics, Evert Du Plessis MPL.
Public Money Diverted from Road Repairs
The DA says this spending is a clear sign that Gauteng’s residents are being let down, forced to drive on roads plagued with potholes, sinkholes, and malfunctioning traffic lights.
The party is now demanding access to the Litigation Reduction Plan, signed in August 2025, to determine which roads are affected, implementation timelines, and whether the province has a real plan to stop the bleeding of public funds.
DA Pushes for Infrastructure Rescue Plan
According to Du Plessis, a DA-led Gauteng government would implement its Infrastructure Rescue Plan, which includes a public online portal for tracking progress on all infrastructure projects, including road maintenance.
“This will improve transparency, reduce lawsuits, and ensure funds go where they are needed most – fixing Gauteng’s roads,” Du Plessis added.
With pothole-related claims continuing to pile up, the opposition argues that the provincial government’s failure to maintain safe roads is not just costing money but also putting lives in danger daily.
