Bad roads take their toll: Agri SA

The poor state of roads is hampering social and economic prosperity in rural South Africa, commercial farming body Agri SA says

"It most certainly adds to the cost of doing business in our country," said Thinus Ferreira, chairman of Agri SA's infrastructure working group.

The farmers supported a dedicated road infrastructure and maintenance fund to deal with the backlog in road maintenance and upgrading at provincial and local level.

Rural roads were under severe strain and rapidly deteriorating.

"This threatens logistics and the safety of road users, while communities are denied access to opportunities such as attending schools, clinics and other essential services," Ferreira said in a statement.

The farmers felt reasons for the bad roads included heavy traffic, damage caused by overloaded heavy vehicles, a neglected rail system and a lack of sufficient funding for maintenance and upgrading.

Ferreira said the consequences for agriculture were enormous.

Products were arriving late and damaged at markets, the cost of vehicle maintenance was higher and transport contractors were refusing to provide essential services on such roads.

Ferreira said Agri SA had identified rural roads that required urgent maintenance and upgrading. It would discuss the matter with Transport Minister S'bu Ndebele.

The organisation said the country's economy needed to grow at a rate in excess of five percent if more jobs were to be created.

A well-functioning logistics system, specifically an effective rural road network, was one of the prerequisites for full implementation of the country's rural development strategy, Ferreira said.