R19-m project for roads launched in Soshanguve
"There are other houses where the water will flow inside their houses, so it has been an inconvenient situation. I am very excited and it is a relief for our people."
Roads and transport MMC Dikeledi Selowa has launched a project that will see the construction of 1.4km of streets and a 1.3km-storm water drainage system in Soshanguve by mid-2022.
Selowa said the project was expected to cost the metro R19-million and will take a year to complete.
“It is about 1.4km of storm water, tar road, speed humps, signages and boards that need to come in. There is excavating that needs to happen and moving some municipal infrastructure because we have some water and sanitation pipes going through; so that is all the work that is going to be done in the next 12 months.”
Selowa said the area in block FF Soshanguve was chosen because of the potential disaster it posed.
“We start with those and prioritise those. We have seen with the rains that we have had for the last couple of months. Not having roads and infrastructure is such a huge problem.
“A lot of times communities request from us just to have a tarred road but it is more than just that. It is about including the storm water system.”
Selowa said after the drowning of the children in Hammanskraal because of open storm water trenches, contractors that had projects that were already in progress were asked to cover up their trenches when they were done working.
“We are trying to avoid such situations because there are children who have lost their lives. When it comes to safety, it is very personal because we bury people’s children and you cannot replace anybody’s child.
“There is going to be constant monitoring from my office. Project managers will do unannounced visits to see if the safety measures are there. We want to ensure that we are not losing lives while we are trying to empower the community.”
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She said they will be keeping a close eye on the so-called “business forums” that demanded 30% for projects meant to benefit communities.
“We are going to have the provincial commissioner on speed dial. I am engaging with the Gauteng community safety department to say that I am not going to tolerate ‘business forums’ because they are not empowering communities but stealing from them. We are going to play hardball with them because a lot of times they got away with it.”
Ward councillor Eulenda Mabusela said the community was very excited about the project as they have experienced a lot of flooding.
“When it rains, the road becomes muddy. Some people complain that they cannot get out of their yards to go to work or school because it will be so flooded and muddy.
“There are other houses where the water will flow inside their houses, so it has been an inconvenient situation. I am very excited and it is a relief for our people,” Mabusela said.
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