THE head of Madlebe Traditional Authority, iNkosi Zenzo Zungu has praised the KZN Department of Transport for finally ‘coming to its senses’, by committing to construct a tarred road in the Matshana Reserve.
INkosi Zungu was speaking during a sod turning ceremony for the 7.7km road which starts from D880 to Matshana 3 which joins the R34 near Mevamhlophe.
‘This day is very emotional to me, as you may know that it has taken us blood, sweat and tears to get us where we are.
‘There have been numerous requests made by this community for this road to be tarred, dating back to the early 1980s.
‘We have been waiting patiently for this day to come. I must single out one resident, Richard Sikhakhane, who fought tirelessly for this road to be tarred when he was still a Member of Parliament in Cape Town.
‘How I wish he was here to witness the fruits of his hard work, along with many others who also pushed the KZN Department of Transport to deliver this tarred road.’
INkosi Zungu also appealed for community cooperation during the project.
‘This is a community development project and this road is the heart of any development. We don’t want to see this project being disrupted by our community,’ he said.
The construction of the road, which will be done by Vumani Civils, is expected to be completed in 17 months.
This will also result in job creation for the local community of Madlebe.
The Matshana road affects Ward 25 and a small portion of Ward 24 under the City of uMhlathuze.
Speaking to the Zululand Observer, Ward 25 Cllr Thamsanqa Mathe said as a City they welcomed the project with both hands.
‘This is the oldest and busiest road. Road users, especially buses transporting school children experienced difficulties when traveling on this road. This road is used by five schools namely
Ziphozonke High School, Matshana Primary School, Kangikho Primary School, Amangwe High School and Mevamhlophe High School, said Mathe.
HAVE YOUR SAY
Like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter.
For news straight to your phone invite us:
WhatsApp – 072 069 4169
Instagram – zululand_observer
