Minister in The Presidency Collins Chabane has revealed that just more than half of the R5-billion President Jacob Zuma set aside for an intervention plan to improve decaying infrastructure in Mthatha has been spent on projects.
The projects were launched almost four years ago.
He was in the area on Friday as part of the government's p erformance monitoring and e valuation function . He visited the new R86-million Mthatha bridge .
Chabane said the government had spent R1.8-billion on completed projects . Several others, worth R1.4-billion, were under way.
He said he was worried that R2.4-billion worth of projects were outstanding.
As a means of fixing the decaying road infrastructure in Mthatha, Chabane said he had appointed Eastern Cape provincial local government superintendent-general Stanley Khanyile to work with director-general Shaun Phillips in his ministry to develop urgently a plan to improve the city's roads.
"The municipality has told us it has spent money refurbishing the roads but they keep on collapsing.
"We are going to sit down and look at what we need to do in that regard. Mthatha inner roads are in an unacceptable state."
Zuma announced that 280 infrastructure projects would be undertaken in the city and surrounding areas in King Sabata Dalindyebo municipality as part of his presidential programme in 2009.
These included:
The R366-million Mthatha Airport upgrading;
Overhauling the city's electrical network; and
Upgrading of water-treatment works, water-borne sewerage system and bulk water infrastructure in Mthatha, Mqanduli and Coffee Bay.
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