Get used to potholes - DA
11 March 2010, 13:12
Potholes on Gauteng's roads would remain as long as funds were diverted from provincial road maintenance and construction programmes to "unexpected expenditure", the DA said Thursday.
The plan to divert more than R300-million was announced during a meeting of the Gauteng roads and transport portfolio committee with the transport department, the party's spokesman for roads and traffic Neil Campbell said in a statement.
However, the department's acting chief financial officer acknowledged the diversion of funds, but pointed out that the figure was incorrect. He also brushed off claims that potholes in the province would remain.
"This is not necessarily true... We are going to finance them [road maintenance and construction programmes] better than in the past," Cobie van Antwerpen said in a written reply to questions.
The department had sought an alternative funding approach in the form of public-private partnerships.
"To this effect, we have secured a funding commitment to the tune of R5,5-billion towards road construction, rehabilitation and maintenance programme for the next five years," he said.
According to Campbell, the unexpected expenditure incurred included costs to duplicate offices of MECs, heads of departments, chief financial officers and other positions in the departments of transport and infrastructure development.
These two previously fell under the public transport, roads and works departments.
Antwerpen said due to the fact that each department had an office of the MEC, HOD and corporate support, funding had to be made available from within the budget.
Furthermore, following the re-incorporation of Khutsong into Gauteng, the department also needed funds to make up the shortfall in the money provided for subsidised North West bus contracts.
Antwerpen said this was because bus services were demarcated to Gauteng without sufficient funding.
According to Campbell, all monies for these "unexpected expenditures" amounted to a fifth of the province's road building and maintenance budget.
"We had better get used to high grass verges on our potholed provincial road network," he said. - Sapa
The plan to divert more than R300-million was announced during a meeting of the Gauteng roads and transport portfolio committee with the transport department, the party's spokesman for roads and traffic Neil Campbell said in a statement.
However, the department's acting chief financial officer acknowledged the diversion of funds, but pointed out that the figure was incorrect. He also brushed off claims that potholes in the province would remain.
"This is not necessarily true... We are going to finance them [road maintenance and construction programmes] better than in the past," Cobie van Antwerpen said in a written reply to questions.
The department had sought an alternative funding approach in the form of public-private partnerships.
"To this effect, we have secured a funding commitment to the tune of R5,5-billion towards road construction, rehabilitation and maintenance programme for the next five years," he said.
According to Campbell, the unexpected expenditure incurred included costs to duplicate offices of MECs, heads of departments, chief financial officers and other positions in the departments of transport and infrastructure development.
These two previously fell under the public transport, roads and works departments.
Antwerpen said due to the fact that each department had an office of the MEC, HOD and corporate support, funding had to be made available from within the budget.
Furthermore, following the re-incorporation of Khutsong into Gauteng, the department also needed funds to make up the shortfall in the money provided for subsidised North West bus contracts.
Antwerpen said this was because bus services were demarcated to Gauteng without sufficient funding.
According to Campbell, all monies for these "unexpected expenditures" amounted to a fifth of the province's road building and maintenance budget.
"We had better get used to high grass verges on our potholed provincial road network," he said. - Sapa
Pretoria
