By: Nghiinomenwa-vali Hangala
An assessment of the City of Windhoek road maintenance backlog is estimated to be more than N$2.7 billion, with insight indicating that the bill could be higher with increasing potholes and road damage.
This was revealed at the Ordinary Council Meeting of the Municipal Council of Windhoek, held on Monday, 24 November 2025.
The meeting also approved an action plan to fast-track pothole repairs ahead of the rainy season.
According to a report by the Department of Infrastructure in the City of Windhoek (CoW), the City has an ageing paved network of more than 883.27 kilometres of roads and streets, most of which have passed their original design life.
The average condition of the network is rated as fair, with 16% of the surfacing and 18% of the structure in the poor to very poor category, the assessment revealed.
“If the average condition is fair, it indicates that half of the network is approaching an unacceptable condition, and the percentages in the poor and very poor ranges are an indication that a backlog has developed over time,” read the report.
The estimated funding backlog for the flexible pavements to address this maintenance need is
estimated at N$2,7 billion.
According to the report, potholes in Windhoek result from a combination of factors, including poor drainage, ageing pavements, high traffic volumes, climate cycles, and inadequate historical maintenance.
The infrastructure department has indicated that it has been addressing the current and increasing
number of new potholes forming on the streets of Windhoek, with an excess of 36,135 potholes repaired since February 2025.
The department has also indicated that it is almost impossible to quantify the extent of these surface failures and the resultant formation of potholes on an aged paved network as a result of said interrelated factors.
This is because of “rapid and ongoing deterioration with new potholes forming daily, thus making any quantification survey obsolete almost immediately. There is widespread and variable damage, implying that some areas fail catastrophically while others remain intact,” the report indicated.
Moreover, weaknesses in the pavement structure are not immediately apparent.
The department also reported to the council that it has compiled a works programme for planned pothole repairs, where certain streets have been identified, together with an estimated commencement date assigned.
Two teams have been identified (Municipal Council of Windhoek internal teams) and are busy in both the western and eastern offices to assist with the pothole repairs.
However, the City noted that the delay in the procurement of required materials hampers the progress of the internal teams in relation to pothole repairs.
The City also updated that through the emergency procurement process, they have reappointed the two previous Unit Rate Contractors (URC) that were previously appointed under emergency procurement for an additional three-month period.
Geckoh Fifty-Eight Investment Group was appointed for the eastern suburbs, and West Trading CC for the western suburbs.
According to the data from CoW, the all-inclusive cost for pothole repairs under the emergency URCs during the first round (May to August 2025) was N$15 million, over the reported number/size of potholes repaired (15,000).
The all-inclusive cost by the end of October 2025 for pothole repairs under the emergency URCs during the second round (August to November 2025) amounted to N$13 million over the reported number/size of potholes repaired (8,100).
The City has also indicated that it has allocated N$20 million for the 2025/26 Financial Year for minor road repairs under the two URC contracts, each capped at the N$35 million threshold over the appointed 2-year period.
erastus@thevillager.com.na
