Note to Editors: Please find attached English and Afrikaans soundbites by Dr Igor Scheurkogel and Sesotho soundbite by Cllr Stone Makhema. See attached pictures here, here, and here.
The DA has submitted its R59 petition to the Free State Provincial Petitions Committee to increase pressure on the Free State Departments of Roads and Transport to transfer the R59 to SANRAL and ensure immediate maintenance. In contrast, the transfer process is being finalised.
The DA has consistently led the fight to save this critical transport corridor. In December 2025, we launched our public petition and formally requested that the R59 be transferred to SANRAL. Thereafter, the National Council of Provinces adopted a DA motion supporting action on the deteriorating condition of the road. This was followed by confirmation from the Minister of Transport, Barbara Creecy, that the transfer process had commenced. At the same time, the Premier of the Free State also confirmed that a formal request had been submitted to the Minister.
Despite these commitments, progress has been painfully slow.
Every week the DA continues to receive complaints from residents, farmers, businesses and motorists about the dangerous condition of the R59. Potholes continue to damage vehicles, intersections remain hazardous, and road markings and safety measures remain inadequate. Every delay places lives at risk and undermines economic activity along one of South Africa’s most strategic transport corridors.
What is particularly concerning is that when communities and road users attempt to repair potholes or make sections of the road safer to prevent accidents, they are instructed by the Free State Department of Roads to stop.
The question is simple: if the Department does not want communities to intervene, why is it failing to carry out the necessary repairs itself while waiting for the SANRAL transfer?
The transfer process cannot become an excuse for inaction. The provincial departments remain legally responsible for maintaining the road until SANRAL officially assumes responsibility. It cannot stand by while road conditions continue to deteriorate and lives are placed at risk.
The R59 is not merely a provincial road. It is a strategic economic corridor linking the Free State, Gauteng, North West and the Northern Cape, supporting agriculture, manufacturing, tourism and freight movement. Every day that this road is neglected costs jobs, discourages investment and increases the likelihood of another fatal accident.
By submitting our petition to the Provincial Petitions Committee, the DA is ensuring that this matter remains firmly on government’s agenda until meaningful action is taken.
The DA will continue to hold every sphere of government accountable until the R59 is transferred to SANRAL, rehabilitated to an acceptable standard, and restored as a safe economic lifeline rather than a road that continues to claim lives and undermine economic growth.