Keletso Moloi beamed with joy when he unpacked his month-long experience at the Pothole Patrol training academy. He is part of the project aimed at addressing the problem of potholes in Gauteng. The project uses youth empowerment and training as a vehicle for fixing potholes.
The 25-year-old told Sunday World that he is grateful for this opportunity to be part of the Roadworks Construction learnership at Discovery Pothole Patrol Academy.
Empowered to start own business
Moloi said: “My aim is to fix all the potholes in my community. After this learnership, I want to get funding so that I can start my own roadworks construction company. I will teach other people how to do the work (repairing potholes).
“I want to give back to the community by offering employment and skills development programmes. My goal is to get rid of all potholes in Katlehong Germiston.”
Moloi is from Zonkizizwe, a township in Katlehong, Germiston in Gauteng.
The province and surrounding areas are in desperate need of road repairs.
Pilot project a lifeline for township roads
Discovery Insure, in partnership with Dialdirect and the City of Johannesburg, launched the Pothole Patrol project. The project manages and repairs potholes across Johannesburg.
In 2023 the company launched another phase of their pilot project and succeeded with a group of 18 students from Alexandra and Thembisa collectively.
Every road and every street corner in the township is battling with potholes. Government is not able to keep up with the ever-growing problems and gaping trenches.
These are a huge menace to vehicle users as they cause road accidents. They are also responsible for the wear and tear and damage to car tyres and rims.
Prevention better than cure
Discovery’s Pothole Patrol has come to conclude that prevention is better than cure.
Last week Wednesday the insurer announced its first official year, which kicked off on February 1,2024. The academy will provide classroom and on-the-job training to another group of 24 learners.
“This will be done through EduWise, an accredited leadership and skills provider,” Discovery said.
It added that they are in partnership with leading car rental company, Avis Southern Africa.
Accredited qualifications
Potholes will soon be a thing of the past as another group will obtain an NQF level 3 qualification for fixing potholes.
The learnership is a National Certificate: Construction Roadworks. Its aim is to teach learners about roadside construction safety, Traffic control and Traffic management. The importance of Personnel Protective Equipment (PPE) is also taught.
The academy is now accredited by the Insurance Sector Education and Training Authority (INSETA). It’s accredited to offer a 12-month practical skills training programme providing an NQF Level 3 qualification, the insurer said.
“Participants will obtain a National Certificate in Roadworks Construction upon completion,” the insurer said.
“We want to sustainably uplift the academy’s learners. This is so that once they complete the 12-month programme, they know how to repair potholes. They will also know what to do in a road construction environment. The learners are also equipped to start their own businesses.”
Project fixed over 200,000 potholes in major Joburg roads
Discovery Insure’s Kgodiso Mokonyane said: “It is exciting to see that one of the people who was trained under the Discovery Pothole Patrol has started his own business. This in KwaZulu-Natal, and he has created employment opportunities through his company.
“It’s not only about getting an NQF-level qualification. It’s about making a real and lasting impact in our society.”
The company and its partners believe that the benefits of the academy will extend beyond graduation. It will align with both companies’ Corporate Social Investment initiatives.
Since the project’s launch in 2021, the initiative has repaired over 200,000 potholes on major Johannesburg roads. Initially, the project aimed to repair 1,000 potholes a week, but it has exceeded this target by 25%.
This initiative was launched in the face of South Africa’s crumbling roads and the lack of resources to fix problems like potholes.
