Community members overjoyed with upgrading of Ga-Riba road
According to locals, the poor state of the road contributed to Ga-Riba villagers living in abject poverty due to a lack of investment from entrepreneurs in the agricultural sector.
The upgrading of the D4166 near Ga-Riba Village in Burgersfort from gravel to tar has been welcomed by the
residents.
The road is the only link to economic centres such as nearby mines and Burgersfort and Polokwane, where most
community members work and shop.
According to locals, the poor state of the road contributed to Ga-Riba villagers living in abject poverty due to a lack of investment from entrepreneurs in the agricultural sector.
“Franchises were doubtful about investing money in an area they could not easily access,” said road user Jack Mapote.
The road project, which has brought about developmental benefits to the affected 20 villages under the Ga-Riba Traditional Council, entailed the rehabilitation of a 1km stretch of the road and the upgrading of 10.7km of the D4166 from Riba Cross Village to Ga-Riba.
“Commencing in 2016, the road project was one of the successfully completed road projects, which was complex,
because it traverses several mountains and required the involvement of an experienced project management team to ensure its completion,” said RAL project manager Brutus Matsha.
“The mountainous nature of the area posed many challenges, which the project team managed to collectively plan around and overcome.
“Steep slopes required a competent team that was equal to the task. In the case of Ga-Riba, the steep slope was
met with a team that possessed the right commitment level to build an access road for the community.”
