Note to Broadcasters: Please find attached soundbites in English and Sesotho by Freddy Sonakile
The R507 road between Geysdorp and Delareyville remains incomplete, despite assurances from MEC Sempe Elizabeth Mokua in November 2024 that it would be opened by December 2024. This commitment, made to the North West Provincial Legislature in response to a question from the DA, has proven hollow as the road remains in a shocking state.
Residents, including farmers who rely on this road daily, have repeatedly raised concerns about its horrific condition. The contractor has long exceeded the project’s contracted timeframe, and while the department has blamed stoppages for the delays, they nonetheless committed to completing the road by December 2024.
During the DA’s visit to the site today, we found no contractor on-site, abandoned materials scattered along the roadside, and a partially constructed road consisting of incomplete tar sections and stretches of gravel. (See pictures here, here, here, here and here.)
The DA has consistently called out the Provincial Department of Public Works for failing to hold contractors accountable for shoddy or incomplete work. Instead, these same contractors are often rewarded with new contracts in other areas, compounding the province’s already crumbling road infrastructure. North West cannot afford such negligence.
We have written to MEC Mokua, urging her to honour her commitment and ensure the road is completed without further delay. (See letter here.) It is unacceptable that, after R150 million has already been spent as per the MEC’s own admission, the project shows no signs of progress or completion.
Furthermore, the department must present a comprehensive consequence management plan to address those responsible for the mishandling of this contract. The DA will continue to hold the department accountable and pressure them to deliver quality infrastructure that serves the residents who rely on it daily.