Today the Democratic Alliance (DA) carried out oversight inspection together with members from the Groenebloem Local Agricultural Association, on the road between Kroonstad and Viljoenskroon after receiving complaints regarding the lack of progress with rebuilding this crucial road.
This road is an example of how the Free State Provincial Government has neglected rebuilding and maintenance of the province’s crucial roads infrastructure. The road has reached the stage that it is dangerous to road users.
Please see photos here, here and here.
This specific road links the Eastern Free State to important parts of the Western and Northern Free State and also with the North West province. The road is no different to many other roads across the province that are in a similar state of disrepair and where dirt tracks next to the road have become less dangerous for road-users than the dangerous potholed tarred sections.
The heart of the Free State are our local rural economies and the roads remain the arteries through which economic activities such as goods and services are transported. The economic heart of our province is dying because these arteries are in an advanced state of decay.
Although all sectors of the economy are affected by this, the agricultural sector are hardest hit due to their reliance on a sound roads infrastructure for the distribution of their various commodities. Other activities such as the taxi industry, transport, retail, schools and universities and emergency services are similarly affected by this.
The police station in Viljoenskroon also makes use of these roads as they have to transport prisoners between Viljoenskroon and Kroonstad on a daily basis. Of the 17 police vehicles at the disposal of police station in Viljoenskroon, 11 are broken and are currently undergoing repair work. Much of this damage to police vehicles has been caused by the dire state of the roads in the area.
An inept administration and problems with supply chain management regarding road tenders have been, and continue to be, a significant factor in the road infrastructure repair and maintenance backlogs.
Replies to questions by the DA in the Free State Legislature indicate that delays in the repairs to the road between Viljoenskroon and Kroonstad are also due to these reasons.
The MEC for Police, Roads and Transport, Mr Sam Mashinini, indicated in a reply in the legislature that repairs were meant to start in October 2019, to be completed in October 2022. However, now he has shifted the goal posts in reply to a follow up question in which he states that: “Negotiations are still underway to appoint the most suitable service provider at the most suitable price in line with correct procedures and policies”.
After awarding a tender and determining these dates, there appears to be further administrative and legal issues that are preventing the crucial work from commencing.
The history of poor supply chain management in this department, and many others, indicates that the provincial government is willing to sacrifice the livelihoods of our residents in the ongoing tender wars. The DA will continue to probe these issues and hold the politicians and officials who are responsible for this accountable in the Free State Legislature.