SAPS Vehicle Falls Into Gqeberha Pothole Weeks After Deputy Mayor Raised Alarm

• A marked SAPS bakkie drove into an uncordoned pothole on Myrtle Avenue in North End, Gqeberha, on 6 August
• Deputy Mayor Gary van Niekerk had flagged the dangerous road conditions to municipal officials weeks before the incident
• The pothole incident came days after Nelson Mandela Bay launched a R60 million road repair campaign

EASTERN CAPE — A South African Police Service (SAPS) vehicle became trapped in a pothole on Myrtle Avenue in the North End suburb of Gqeberha on 6 August, weeks after local authorities had been formally warned about the deteriorating state of the road.

According to News24, SAPS spokesperson Captain Andre Beetge confirmed that a marked bakkie from the Humewood station fell into a pothole while the crew was conducting a special crime-prevention operation.

Beetge said the driver misjudged the depth of the hole while executing a U-turn. The vehicle was subsequently recovered without any reported damage and returned to active service. South Africa's pothole battle is no secret, especially in rural areas.

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Deputy mayor had warned officials in July

Nelson Mandela Bay Deputy Mayor Gary van Niekerk disclosed that he personally visited Myrtle Avenue on 23 July after local business owners raised concerns about the road's condition. He described the state of both the road surface and surrounding pavements as alarming, adding that he escalated the matter to several municipal officials following his inspection.

The ward councillor had also made prior representations to the municipality before Van Niekerk's visit. Despite sustained follow-ups from multiple parties, Van Niekerk said no meaningful action was taken. He expressed the view that the incident was entirely avoidable had authorities acted on the warnings in time.

Incident follows launch of R60 million repair campaign

The timing of the incident drew particular scrutiny. Executive Mayor Babalwa Lobishe had launched the "Fill up the Bay" campaign just days before the SAPS vehicle incident. The initiative carries a R60 million budget, with R30 million ring-fenced specifically for pothole repairs.

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Twelve contractors were deployed alongside municipal maintenance teams across all 60 wards in the metro to tackle thousands of damaged road surfaces. The gap between the campaign's launch and the continued presence of unaddressed hazards on Myrtle Avenue raised questions about the speed and reach of the repair rollout in Nelson Mandela Bay.

View a post about the incident on Facebook:

Afrikaner says no potholes in US

In a related article, Briefly News reported on an Afrikaner couple now living in New York who documented their new life in the United States on Facebook. Their video has sparked reactions from South Africans, highlighting the stark differences in living conditions and freedoms compared to their home country.

Source: Briefly News