JEPPES REEF –  Since 2010, these residents claimed they have been pleading with the Nkomazi Local Municipality to construct a solid, safe bridge for them.

“As community members, we have decided to build our own bridge, because we were tired of waiting for the municipality,” the project leader, Sifiso Mthethwa, told Mpumalanga News.

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“We’ve been working on this bridge over the Ingugwane River for three weeks now. The old one has been difficult to cross, especially when it rains, and our children have struggled to do so on their way to school. Last year, a man drowned at this bridge because it was flooded.

“The municipality only intervened after discovering that we were seeking assistance from the media. The municipality stated that the bridge would be completed in one month. We don’t want to rely on the municipality, because we’ve already raised funds as a community, therefore we plan to keep working on it.”

“The old bridge is not in a good state,” stated Edward Mkhatshwa, road supervisor for the Nkomazi Local Municipality. “We are currently working on this issue as a municipality, and I personally went to visit the site. Everything mentioned by members of the community is correct.”