WESSELTON – Construction on Magwaza Street in Wesselton continues as part of the Msukaligwa Local Municipality’s (MLM) road rehabilitation programme, with temporary closures and detours affecting daily traffic.

The ongoing project was relaunched in 2025 after the municipality terminated the initial contractor for poor performance.

A new contractor was appointed on April 22, 2025, and work officially restarted on May 22, with a projected completion date of December 19, 2025.

At the time, municipal spokesperson Mandla Zwane provided detailed updates on progress, stating, “As of October 23, 2025, road construction is 47% complete, focusing on storm water management systems and mass earthworks. The subbase stands at 80%, storm water piping at 60%, and manholes and covers at 60%.”

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Zwane also highlighted several challenges affecting progress, “Equipment breakdowns, adverse weather, interference from existing services, and illegal trench digging by community members connecting electricity unlawfully have impacted timelines. We continue to monitor progress through weekly meetings and have made staff adjustments to improve project co-ordination.”

Construction teams are currently busy laying road layers to ensure the street is properly reinforced before the final surfacing is applied.

This step is necessary to make sure the road can handle daily traffic and withstand changing weather conditions.

Community responses to the work have been mixed:

• Xolani INkethabaweli, “There’s a lot of incompetence… the road is weak and imbalanced. Do the roads have inspectors?”
• Collen Bongwe Jr, “5 years later to do a 400-meter tar road.”
• Bongany Magaido, “At last…”
• Philani Kurt Mngomezulu, “Outstanding work as usual.”

Read the complete article in Highvelder’s printed edition.