Riverside Industria’s Damaged Roads Hit Businesses and Emergency Services

The deteriorating condition of roads across Newcastle’s Riverside Industria is placing growing pressure on businesses, damaging vehicles and potentially delaying ambulances, police vehicles and other emergency responders.

Business owners operating in the industrial area say potholes and failing road surfaces are increasing operating costs, complicating access to their premises and affecting the daily movement of employees, customers and delivery vehicles.

With Riverside Industria accommodating numerous businesses and employing hundreds of people, concerns are also mounting over what the condition of its infrastructure could mean for investment, service delivery and the safe movement of people and goods.

Speaking to Newcastillian News, local business owner Quentin Ferreira said the condition of the roads had become a serious concern, directly affecting businesses, employees, customers and the public.

“The poor condition of the roads makes it difficult and, in some areas, hazardous for vehicles to access businesses. Potholes, deteriorating surfaces and inadequate road maintenance contribute to increased vehicle damage, higher maintenance and operating costs, and unnecessary delays. For businesses that rely on service vehicles, delivery vehicles and customers travelling to our premises, this has a direct financial impact,” he said.

Ferreira explained that employees travelling through the area were also forced to contend with the damaged roads daily.

“Staff members are having to navigate damaged roads on a daily basis, particularly during busy periods when avoiding potholes can become difficult and potentially dangerous.”

For businesses in Riverside Industria, the problem therefore extends beyond inconvenience. Ferreira said the industrial area formed an important part of Newcastle’s economy and required infrastructure that supported business activity instead of creating additional costs and operational challenges.

Good roads are not merely a convenience. They are essential to economic activity, investment, employment and the safe movement of people and goods.

Business owner Andy Hsu shared Ferreira’s concerns, saying several people working in the area had been forced to repair their vehicles repeatedly.

“A person has to be careful when driving along roads such as Marconi Drive, as the roads can damage your vehicle’s under carriage. I have had more than one burst wheel because of the condition of the roads,” he said, adding that potential clients often avoided the industrial area for this reason.

However, these concerns are not new.

As previously reported by Newcastillian News in April 2026, mechanics, tyre specialists and emergency medical service operators outlined the cost of Newcastle’s damaged roads.

At the time, businesses in the automotive repair sector said motorists were spending substantial amounts repairing burst tyres, damaged suspensions and other vehicle components.

To read more, click here.

Another business owner, who spoke on condition of anonymity, claimed that collisions and near misses had become a regular occurrence in the industrial area.

“Marconi Drive, Stephenson Street, Gutenberg Street are the worst, with Albert Wessels also being an issue. I have worked in the industrial area for years, and I have seen several near misses where motorists are attempting to dodge potholes on the way to work, or serious collisions where people have either been seriously injured or died due to the condition of the roads,” she stressed.

She further added that portions of Industria Road and Falkirk Street had been deteriorating since November 2024.

Newcastillian News visited the area, where business owners pointed out the affected sections and said no steps had been taken to address their condition since the problem was reported.

This follows an earlier Newcastillian News report from March 2025 concerning a section of Industria Road that was falling away.

Municipal officials indicated at the time that the road would be attended to.

To read more, click here.

Newcastle Roads Now a Matter of Life and Death

Furthermore, the condition of the roads is also creating concerns beyond its impact on businesses and private vehicles.

Ziyaad Warasally of ER24 Emergency Medical Services explained that the damaged roads could affect how quickly emergency services responded to incidents in Riverside Industria.

“The conditions of the Industrial Area’s roads can damage an ambulance’s suspension, wheels, mags, equipment, and even potentially result in an ambulance overturning. This means that when there is an emergency in the Industrial Area, emergency medical services cannot always respond as rapidly as we should,” Warasally noted.

He said the road conditions could also pose a risk to patients while they were being transported to hospital.

“Depending on the patient’s injuries, the drive to the hospital could either cause more pain or cause a potential disability,” stressed Warasally.

Building on this, the Newcastle Community Policing Forum (CPF) said functional road infrastructure was essential to effective policing and emergency response.

“Where roads are severely damaged, uneven or affected by potholes, this can make it more difficult for police vehicles to move quickly and safely, particularly when responding to urgent incidents,” the Newcastle CPF told Newcastillian News.

The CPF explained that Riverside Industria was an important economic and commercial part of Newcastle and required reliable access for the South African Police Service and other stakeholders involved in crime prevention and emergency response.

“Poor road conditions can potentially slow vehicles down, force drivers to take alternative routes or require them to navigate damaged sections of the road with greater caution,” the CPF added.

According to the CPF, the problem becomes particularly concerning during emergencies, when responding officers and other emergency or security personnel need to reach an incident as safely and efficiently as possible.

The repeated use of damaged roads could also place additional strain on police vehicles.

“SAPS vehicles are required to conduct patrols and respond to incidents throughout the policing area. Repeatedly travelling on roads with potholes and damaged surfaces can contribute to increased wear and tear and potentially result in damage to tyres, suspension, steering and other vehicle components. Where a driver encounters badly damaged sections of road, particularly potholes, the vehicle may have to reduce speed considerably to avoid damage or accidents. This can naturally affect travelling time and potentially impact how quickly officers can reach certain locations,” the CPF stressed.

However, the organisation noted that SAPS was not the only security service affected.

“Private security companies, armed response personnel and other stakeholders who play a role in assisting communities and contributing towards the fight against crime are equally affected by poor road infrastructure. Their vehicles also have to navigate the same damaged roads when responding to alarms, suspicious activity or other security-related incidents. In this regard, deteriorating road infrastructure creates a broader challenge for community safety, as the stakeholders expected to provide assistance and respond to incidents all depend on safe and functional roads to operate effectively.”

The CPF said repairing the roads would support the movement of police, emergency and private security vehicles throughout the area.

“Better-maintained roads can assist patrol vehicles in accessing different areas more safely, reduce unnecessary wear and tear on already constrained resources and allow officers to travel more efficiently when conducting patrols or responding to incidents,” said the CPF, highlighting that the condition of Newcastle’s local infrastructure should be treated as a priority by the relevant local authorities.

It added that the implications of deteriorating infrastructure extended across the community and local economy.

“Functional and well-maintained roads benefit not only SAPS and other emergency or security services, but also residents, businesses and the broader economy. As the Newcastle CPF, we believe that investment in and maintenance of local infrastructure ultimately contributes towards safer and better-functioning communities. We would therefore encourage the relevant authorities to prioritise the maintenance and improvement of roads in the Industrial Area and other affected parts of Newcastle for the benefit of our residents and all stakeholders who rely on this infrastructure daily,” concluded the Newcastle CPF.

Moreover, Ferreira said the extent of the deterioration required a long-term response rather than temporary intervention once roads had reached a critical condition.

“We understand that maintaining a large road network is a significant challenge and that municipalities face budgetary constraints. However, I believe the industrial areas should receive urgent attention and a proper, sustainable road maintenance programme rather than only temporary repairs when conditions become critical.”

He said local business owners wanted Newcastle to grow and attract further investment, but this required reliable infrastructure.

“Maintaining our road infrastructure is an important part of creating an environment where businesses can operate efficiently and confidently. I would encourage the municipality and relevant authorities to engage with businesses in the Industrial Area and develop a clear plan to address the deteriorating roads. We are willing to work together and be part of the solution, but we need to see meaningful action,” he concluded.

Pothole Hell in Newcastle: Fixes Finally on the Horizon?

Newcastillian News approached the Newcastle Local Municipality to establish what concrete steps were being taken to address the roads in Riverside Industria.

The Municipality was also asked how it assessed the potential impact of the road conditions on new investment and the retention and expansion of businesses already operating in the area.

However, despite a formal media enquiry being submitted on 13 August 2026, the Municipality had not responded at the time of publication.

While the Municipality is still to comment on the latest concerns, it has made several commitments over the years regarding Newcastle’s deteriorating roads.

Following complaints about roads in Newcastle’s industrial and residential areas, the Municipality told Newcastillian News in January 2021 that the construction, resealing and repair of roads was an ongoing process.

It said it was closely monitoring road conditions and would dispatch a team where urgent attention was required.

The Municipality further stated that it had a strategic plan to ensure certain roads were completed within specified timeframes. Once a problem was identified, it said the severity of the damage would determine the response.

To read more, click here.

Despite those assurances, concerns over Newcastle’s roads have continued.

As reported by Newcastillian News in July 2025 and July 2026, the Newcastle Municipality announced on both occasions that it was continuing with road repairs, including work in the Industrial Area.

The extent of the deterioration in parts of Riverside Industria has since prompted questions over whether routine pothole repairs and resealing will be sufficient.

Newcastle Municipal Councillor Alex Liu said he had repeatedly asked the Municipality to budget through National Treasury’s Municipal Infrastructure Grant for road resealing, streetlights and sewerage systems.

“We want to attract new investors, but we cannot even shoot a promotional film in our industrial area as there’s not a single good road here. The problem is, the Newcastle Municipality doesn’t have the necessary funds at the moment to address the road infrastructure, and will need to look at alternative means to source the required funding. However, some of the roads in Riverside Industria are beyond the point of filling potholes and resealing the road. There are portions of Marconi, Stephenson, and Gutenberg streets that will need to be totally rebuilt,” he explained.

While alternative funding would need to be secured, Liu said the Municipality had to treat the area’s roads as a priority.

“The conditions of the roads impact business, and I am aware of one business that operated as a wedding venue which had to close its doors as its clients did not want to drive into the industrial area. They are now hiring their premises out to a factory,” remarked Liu.

The concerns raised by businesses, ER24 and the Newcastle CPF show that the consequences extend beyond vehicle repair costs. They affect access to businesses, the movement of emergency responders and Riverside Industria’s ability to attract and retain investment.

With some sections of road now described as requiring complete reconstruction, the issue also extends beyond routine pothole repairs.

The outstanding question is whether the Newcastle Municipality can secure the necessary funding and move from repeated interim interventions towards a sustained rehabilitation programme for the industrial area.

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