Transport Minister seeks answers to poor quality of roads in Limpopo
Roads MEC Nkakareng Rakgoale said harsh action should be taken, and governing bodies should be involved in monitoring the quality of work that goes into the construction of roads.
POLOKWANE – The national transport department is concerned over very recently constructed roads in the province either dilapidating quicker than expected, or requiring maintenance shortly after every rain season.
Minister Sinidisiwe Chikunga visited the city last week, after reviewing several roads days earlier.
Remarking at Meropa Casino and Entertainment World on the current status, Chikunga said service providers in other parts of the country cited having to share portions of road project funds with construction mafias who threaten to halt projects.
This, she said, results in contractors delivering shoddy work and cutting corners in order to make a profit.
Roads MEC Nkakareng Rakgoale said their departmental project managers across the province have, however, not reported having experienced such incidents yet.
The question remained from the national office on why the province’s roads quality is not satisfactory, and solutions were sought in the presence of local civil engineers and other experts from Roads Agency Limpopo (RAL) and Sanral.
The department has been given three months to fill potholes under the ‘vala-zonke’ national flagmanship project, with Rakgoale saying this is an achievable target.
Polokwane Mayor John Mpe has in recent months been seen leading potholes-patching projects in parts of the city while also equipping offices in Aganang and elsewhere with the necessary machinery to carry out the task.
Read more: Muni fights the war on potholes in Polokwane head-on
Rakgoale said she is still interested as to the poor work done on the roads and warned that poor performance will be reported to the relevant governing bodies, should the problem persists.
The MEC agreed that harsh action should be taken, and governing bodies should be involved in monitoring the quality of work that goes into the construction of roads.
Chikunge committed to provide a budget for pothole filling machines and other necessary equipment for the success of this programme once the provincial department provides details of which roads are of concern. This, after it was reported that some yellow fleet vehicles are not in use due to non-maintenance.
This should be solved between July and August, she said.
The department has also conducted research into the use of nanotechnology, to develop better roads at a quicker but cheaper rate in Limpopo.
“We still need unemployed civil engineers who can advise us in terms of enhancing the 67% of unpaved roads in Limpopo, with an overall budget of about R1b this year alone,” she remarked.
