THE proposed N2 Wild Coast Toll Road was part of the 18 strategic integrated projects overseen by the Presidential Infrastructure Coordinating Committee, according to South African National Roads Agency (Sanral) spokesman Vusi Mona.
He was referring to an announcement by Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform Minister Gugile Nkwinti that construction of the road would start in September next year. The minister chaired the committee’s South Eastern node and corridor development. That was why he and not Sanral had made the announcement, Mr Mona explained.
Discussing funding issues regarding the project and queries about whether KwaZulu-Natal motorists would pay for it through toll fees, Mr Mona said KwaZulu-Natal’s part of the project had been put on ice until the funding issue had been resolved by the Presidential Infrastructure Coordinating Committee.
Regarding the moving of people, graves and infrastructure, he said it was inevitable that there would have to be some relocations. However, this was true of numerous infrastructure projects throughout South Africa. Sanral had successfully dealt with this issue on other projects.
“Any relocation will follow a fully consultative process with affected communities and individuals. A prerequisite to relocation is the availability of suitable alternative land and housing,” Mr Mona said.
He assured those affected that no relocations would be done without community and individual agreement. The rituals that needed to be performed in terms of culture and custom would be observed and respected. The South African Heritage Resources Agency (Sahra) would be involved in any process that required the relocation of graves and houses.
Many people believed there was a link between the toll road project and the application by an Australian company to mine the dunes at Xolobeni on the Wild Coast for heavy metals. Mr Mona denied there was any connection between them.
