Innovative road maintenance management system sets new benchmark 

Every once in a while, a project comes along where you see that people have been genuinely steadfast to make it work. 

Dedicating time, money and resources for more than a decade, the Mpumalanga Department of Public Works: Roads and Transport (DPWR&T) Maintenance Management System (MMS), developed in conjunction with Zutari, was recently launched to the media. 

Commenting on the project, Floors in Africa CEO and editor in chief, Marlene van Rooyen, noted: “What we need in the world right now, are collaborative partnerships between shareholders and interested parties, solutions that are applicable in Africa, training to facilitate the rollout of these solutions and dedicated project management (data analysis, reporting and use of reporting, continued training, knowledge sharing etc). 

“This project is a standout job by Zutari and the Mpumalanga Department of Public Works!” 

Cutting-edge platform 

Dr Chris von Holdt, Zutari’s director for asset management.

The project spanned a massive twelve years but has resulted in a maintenance programme unmatched in South Africa. The system is an innovative, cutting-edge platform designed to enhance road maintenance operations across the province.  

The MMS streamlines the planning, execution and reporting of maintenance activities.

“It is a comprehensive tool for managing road maintenance activities across the entire road network in the province,” explains Dr Chris von Holdt, Zutari’s director for asset management. 

Broad scope 

Spanning 26 cost centres, it equips the department to overcome challenges such as budget constraints, resource limitations and aging infrastructure, ensuring more effective service delivery and more. 

By automating workflows, optimising resource management and improving response times, the MMS leverages real-time data to drive efficient infrastructure management.  

The Mpumalanga MMS assists the department across a number of tasks.

Its standout features are tailored to address the department’s operational challenges and build capacity for sustainable maintenance in an environment of limited budgets and resource constraints. 

These include a mobile app for field staff to submit completed work updates on the go, a pothole reporting site for public issue reporting and CETA-accredited maintenance tasks execution training to upskill road workers. 

A mobile app for foremen working on site helps to digitise the work process and captures evidence, such as photos, of completed tasks.

MMS in brief 

The MMS assists the department with the: 

• Recording of maintenance issues (inspections/public calls). 
• Planning of maintenance activities. 
• Budgeting to address maintenance needs. 
• Scheduling of maintenance activities and resources to achieve the objectives. 
• Execution of maintenance activities (keeping record). 
• Feedback regarding activities carried out and resources applied (quality assurance). 
• Evaluation of the amount of work done compared to the planned workload and resource utilisation. 
• Monitoring and control of labour and resource utilisation. 
• Reporting of cost centres and regional offices to head office. 

A newly unveiled MMS is a leap forward in road infrastructure management, with precise tracking, efficient task allocation and comprehensive reporting. 

For more information, contact Zutari: 

Email: connect@zutari.com 

Website: https://www.zutari.com 

Link to app: www.potholes.org.za