Local direct insurance provider, Dial Direct, is delighted by the overwhelmingly-positive response and tremendous support it has received from the public for its pothole repair initiative, the Dial Direct Pothole Brigade, which runs in conjunction with Lead SA, the Johannesburg Roads Agency and the Gauteng Provincial Department of Roads and Transport.

Since the project kicked off in August last year, a whopping 20 000 (and counting) potholes have been repaired by the Dial Direct Pothole Brigade. Since the reporting mechanisms were opened to the Johannesburg public in December 2010, over 180 000 people have visited the website and logged over 15 000 reports.

According to Bradley Du Chenne, senior executive of Dial Direct Insurance, "We are absolutely blown-away by the response we have received from the Johannesburg public. We rely on the reports we get from road-users as these are effectively our leads as to where to focus our pothole remediation efforts.

"Thanks to growing public participation in the campaign, the number of reports has escalated so dramatically that we had to triple our capacity in order to keep up with the demand. We now have capacity to repair 3 000 potholes per month.

"While our success of filling over 20 000 potholes in ten months speaks for itself, it is the responses that we get from the public that is the main source of motivation for us. We are thrilled that so many people are willing to take the time to report potholes and give us their feedback. We are enormously appreciative of their participation.”

Some of the comments received from the public to date are as follows:
A motorist who has twice lost wheels due to potholes sent an email saying: "WAY TO GO! The Pothole Brigade is a fabulous initiative and long may it last! ...I would just like to express my gratitude and that of the other 400 or so people who use Swallow Drive in Norscot Slopes daily! I think it is such a great initiative.”

A message received from another Johannesburg road-user said: "I would like to forward my greatest thanks to all the staff involved with the "Pothole Brigade” from Dial Direct for their effort and commitment to fixing our roads. Every single pothole I have reported, has been attended to and fixed and made the once dangerous road, a pleasure to drive on. You are all doing a phenomenal job and please....keep up the great work!! Thank you for this wonderful initiative and know that Dial Direct is definitely making a very positive impact on SA and the "Lead SA” campaign.”

"It is comments like these that spur us on to greater heights,” says Du Chenne.