Mpho Dube - THE Democratic Alliance (DA) leader in Limpopo, Ms Desiree Van der Walt said potholes in the province’s roads are not only causing accidents and damaging cars but looting motorists’ purses. Van der Walt expressed her disgust about the growing number of dangerous and unattended potholes and said she is going to alarm national Roads and Transport Minister, Mr Sbu Ndebele about the matter. “The increasing number of dangerous potholes on countless roads in Limpopo are not only putting lives at risk and causing damage to vehicles, but can result in civil claims against the state following injuries, thus placing a further burden on the public purse,” she said. “The typical cost of maintaining a road, when maintenance is done timeously, is R100 000 per kilometre. If the road is left for three years, the cost rises to R600 000, and if the road is left for a further five years, it will rise to R1,8 million per kilometre. A bad road also costs motorists twice as much in time, safety and operational costs as a good one.” Van der Walt said a myriad of roads in towns are riddled with potholes and this is a direct result of the ANC-led government’s lax attitude towards effecting repairs of the road maintenance backlog which currently stands at R38.3-billion in South Africa. The DA leader said this national backlog exists because roads have now exceeded their lifespan of 25 years and there is no significant funding towards improving the road network. “The DA believes the answer is twofold: on the one hand, government should establish a Road Maintenance Fund; on the other, it seriously needs to re-evaluate how it assigns and allocates infrastructure spend, because this problem, which resonates with every South African who uses our roads, is heading towards a tipping point and, unless it is addressed, will pass that point where the cost of repair becomes unmanageable,” Van der Walt said.