Pretoria – The Gauteng Department for Roads and Transport says it will scrutinize each and every claim before settling the matter, and will contest a doubtful damage claim that is forwarded to it by a motorist or his/her legal representative.
MEC for Roads and Transport Ismail Vadi expressed concern that some motorists were filing opportunistic claims, sometimes using the services of selected legal firms that seem to be specializing in submitting dubious claims to his department.
MEC Vadi revealed this when he was responding to a question in the legislature on Wednesday regarding the cost to the department of damaged motor vehicle claims due to poor road conditions in the province.
He said the department had won 34 cases, valued at R620 000, involving motor vehicle claims by motorists who believed that their cars were damaged by potholes or poor road conditions.
He said that his department has paid out over R548 498 in settled claims to 32 applicants over the past three years.
According to MEC Vadi, motorists do not distinguish between municipal and provincial roads when filing claims with the department, which tends to slow down the process of settling matters.
“Claims for motor vehicles damaged on municipal roads must be lodged with the respective municipality,” he said.
With regard to claims against the department for damages sustained to vehicles specifically over the past three years, the legal fees for cases lost amounted to R130 983.67.
MEC Vadi said his department has worked hard in fixing potholes and improving the provincial road network.
“The provincial road network has improved substantially as a result of our construction, maintenance and rehabilitation programmes and our regional teams are working daily to repair potholes developing due to the recent heavy rainfall,” he said. – SAnews.gov.za
