City of Tshwane Intensifies War on Potholes as Jetpatcher Demonstration Marks Next Phase of Accelerated Delivery
The City of Tshwane reaffirmed its commitment to restoring safe, reliable and dignified road infrastructure for all residents as it advances to the next phase of its War on Potholes.
This follows a live demonstration of the City’s Jetpatcher road resealing technology, undertaken at the request of the Executive Mayor to demonstrate the full operational capability of the Jetpatcher fleet, including its ability to carry out basic road resealing and rejuvenation.
For many residents, potholes have come to symbolise years of infrastructure decline, delayed maintenance and inconsistent service delivery. This administration has made it clear that this will not continue. The War on Potholes is not a slogan. It is a programme of action that is rebuilding the City’s road maintenance system from the ground up.
Over the past year, measurable progress has been achieved:
- More than 18 000 potholes have been reported, with over 14 000 repaired
- Over 220 kilometres of roads have been resurfaced through reactive maintenance
- A further 78 kilometres have been addressed through proactive resurfacing to prevent deterioration before it occurs
These interventions are improving road safety, protecting vehicles, and restoring mobility across all regions of the City.The Jetpatcher trucks, procured in September 2025, have already been deployed extensively across Regions 3, 4 and 6, where they have contributed to both pothole repairs and broader road rehabilitation efforts.
The demonstration marks a deliberate shift to fully utilizing the expanded capabilities of this technology. Following their deployment, it became clear that the Jetpatchersare not limited to pothole repairs alone. They also have the ability to undertake basic road rejuvenation. This is a critical intervention for roads that are deteriorating but do not yet require full reconstruction.
Through the application of bitumen and liquid asphalt, the Jetpatcher produces a spray that penetrates the road surface, binds with existing material, and hardens to extend the life of the road. This process can extend the useful lifespan of affected roads by between two and five years, depending on traffic volumes.
This approach is both practical and necessary.
Full road rehabilitation remains essential in many cases, but it comes at a significant cost of between R10 million and R12 million per kilometre. By contrast, road rejuvenation provides a substantially more cost-effective intervention, allowing the City to extend the life of existing infrastructure while managing budget constraints responsibly.
This technology does not replace the need for full rehabilitation where required. Rather, it forms part of a layered and intelligent maintenance strategy that ensures the right intervention is applied at the right time.The Jetpatcher therefore represents more than a repair tool. It is a strategic asset in extending infrastructure lifespan, improving service delivery efficiency, and reducing long-term costs. Importantly, this intervention forms part of a broader programme of innovation in road maintenance. It represents the third instalment of new technologies and methods introduced by the City to strengthen its response to
deteriorating road infrastructure.
The City of Tshwane applies a multi-method approach to road maintenance, combining Jetpatcher technology, hot asphalt, compliant cold mix, and innovative materials such as GrooveTech. This ensures flexibility, resilience, and the ability to respond under varying operational conditions.
It must also be acknowledged that Tshwane has experienced one of its wettest seasons in recent years. Persistent rainfall accelerates road deterioration and limits repair windows. Despite these challenges, the
City has continued to intensify operations and expand its response.
The Jetpatcher demonstration therefore marks a new phase of accelerated delivery, where innovation, internal capacity and operational discipline are being combined to systematically reduce the pothole backlog and improve the quality of the City’s road network.
Residents are encouraged to continue reporting potholes through official City channels, as this information remains critical in guiding response and deployment.
The City of Tshwane remains committed to fixing what is broken, maintaining what works, and building infrastructure that lasts.