Claim for pothole damage

Question

I'm not sure if you are able to assist or can refer me to the appropriate person, but driving between Port Elizabeth and East London I hit a huge pothole and was lucky that I didn't have a blow out (probably because I was not driving too fast). I was unable to swerve to avoid the pothole because there was a tiny shoulder on the road and moving into the other lane would've resulted in a head on collision with the oncoming vehicle. In order to avoid a head on collision, I stayed in my own lane and had to drive over the pothole. As a result of this, I had to replace my tyre and also have my wheel rim repaired. The total cost came to approx. R1000 and I was wondering how I could go about claiming this back? I feel that it is only fair that I be reimbursed this amount as the state of the road caused the damage to my vehicle and was not driver error. As mentioned previously, had I swerved to avoid the pothole, there may have been a fatal head on collision. I will be happy to submit certified copies of the invoices for my replacement tyre and the cost of the rim repair. Your assistance or advice on the matter would be greatly appreciated.

Answer

All claims are addressed to SANRAL if the road is a national route (ie N9) or to a province if the route is an R route or local council if within a municipality or major route not provincially designated