Government admits ‘huge’ backlog in upgrading Mpumalanga's roads

There is a “huge infrastructure maintenance and upgrade backlog” for roads in Mpumalanga.

Department of Public Works Roads and Transport spokesperson David Nkambule said this in a statement on Tuesday.

“The twin demands of maintaining existing infrastructure and upgrading infrastructure in previously neglected and underdeveloped communities place a huge budgetary burden on government and consequently there is a huge infrastructure maintenance and upgrade backlog.”

The department handles grass cutting‚ replacing road signs‚ repairing the shoulder of the roads‚ resealing potholes‚ cleaning drains and road markings.

Nkambule said there were 13‚875 roads in the province of which 8‚540 were gravel and 5‚355 tarred.

Nkambule said they have invested in these popular tourist routes:

• The R36 between Bambi and Mashishing. The second phase is currently underway and the final stage should start by 2020/21 financial year; Construction on the R536 between Sabie and Hazyview will start in the 2019/20 financial year;
• The road between Graskop and Matibidi will be rehabilitated in the 2019/20 financial year;
• R1-million was spent on the R537 between White River to Sabie to fix potholes and cut the grass; and
• Maintenance on the R538 between White River and Jerusalem/ Masoyi was recently completed.

A local businessman said on Sunday that some roads in the province were nothing more than potholes with tar.

Oupa Pilane‚ president of the Kruger Lowveld Chamber of Business and Tourism‚ said damaged roads were harming tourism‚ the economy and jobs in the province.

“We are trying to get fresh money in to try and build the province‚ because you need that money. We keep building malls and everything‚ but for those shopping complexes and everything to be sustainable‚ you need new money.”

Pilane said the provincial government bungling the maintenance of viewing areas was another problem.

“They are in a terrible state. Two things that top the concerns of most of the tour operators wherever you go are the public roads and public toilets. There are no public toilets and where there are public toilets‚ you cannot use that toilet.”

Pilane singled out the Panorama Route as the “jewel” of tourism in Mpumalanga.

“It is a low-hanging fruit that can be maximised to create new and inclusive enterprises that will see more of our previously disadvantaged people taking an active role in the tourism industry.”

The Panorama Route runs between the Blyde River Canyon and Sabie. Bourke’s Luck Potholes‚ God’s Window and waterfalls such as Lone Creek‚ Mac-Mac and Bridal Veil are along the route.