MEC promises aid for stricken areas

Lolo Madonsela

After half a decade of requesting bridges and roads, the communities of Mvuzini and Mvunyane near eMondlo are now hopeful they will see service delivery come to their aid.
The MEC of Transport in KwaZulu-Natal, Bheki Ntuli has committed to building the bridges in these areas, following the death of a taxi driver when his vehicle washed away on January 17. Fortunately, the collapse of the bridge did not claim any lives.
A total of R14-million has been budgeted for box culverts at Machanca and Mvuzini, and construction is expected to commence in June this year.
During the assessment of roads and bridges which were damaged by the rains, Ntuli urged Government officials to ‘speedily develop a project implementation plan’ in order or address road infrastructure challenges in Vryheid and its surroundings.

Also read: Taxi driver washed away by river

He added transformation of the previously disadvantaged should be a priority to empower them.
“The department is fully committed to providing training, skills development and empowering local contractors. Projects in the department must empower previously disadvantaged people, particularly youth, women and people with disabilities. We must create a number of job opportunities and ensure skills development through the projects we implement,” added Ntuli.
The MEC further stated there were a number of projects in the pipeline in addition to the culverts, which would help the community continue to have access to services such as the provincial clinic, schools and eMondlo township.
“The department has prioritised the construction of roads and bridges to alleviate congestion and improve connectivity, so that citizens have access to economic opportunities. Rural and townships communities should be beneficiaries through various employment opportunities, training and sub-contracting opportunities. In line with our development strategy, I have asked officials in the department to assess the condition of all roads and bridges in the province, particularly in rural parts of KZN,” he said.
The MEC stated the construction of new roads and bridges could enhance the economic development of small towns, and said this had become important for the growth of the tourism sector.
Community members believed the protest they held a day before the MEC arrived had assisted in their finally receiving attention from Government, after years of complaining about the state of roads and appealing to powers that be for a bridge in the area.
However, they still felt disgruntled at the situation: “We were disappointed because he never gave us an opportunity to interact with him; he just addressed us and then left. We understand the construction will only commence in June, but until then how safe are we? How safe are our children because rainy season is about to start very soon and children will have to miss school. We do not even know how long it will take for the bridge to be finished. On top of that, the MEC told us our roads would be graded every two months, which we don’t want. We want proper new roads; if you are going to build a bridge, you need to first fix the road leading to that bridge – those things go hand in hand.”

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