| A report by KwaZulu-Natal’s (KZN) Department of Transport (DoT) – and submitted to the President’s national Adhoc committee created to conduct oversight of flood relief monies – has revealed significant gaps when it comes to details regarding damage to major roads and bridges in the province.
The report, tabled before the national committee yesterday, also shows that the DoT is yet to submit the full amount required in terms of a national grant to fix transport infrastructure (view here). The finding comes despite the DA having engaged with KZN Transport MEC, Peggy Nkonyeni, and her Department regarding numerous areas which require urgent attention as a result of the recent heavy rains. These include; • Shongweni Road in Hillcrest • Fields Hill which remains dangerous due to rock falls and mudslides • The bridge on the R102 between Maidstone and Tongaat • The Dendethu Bridge that requires urgent attention • The condition of District road 415 in Ward 27 in KwaDukuza Municipality • The R74 in KwaDukuza Municipality where a portion of the road has been washed away and; • The M4 North-bound. While the DA is unsurprised by these glaring omissions on the part of the DoT, they remain extremely concerning given that until such time as these issues are flagged, they will not be dealt with. While this Department lurches from one crisis to the next, it is KZN’s people who are feeling the full impact of its tardiness. This is unacceptable. It is also increasingly apparent that the various KZN Legislature oversight inspections, conducted after the April floods with the provincial ANC leadership, were merely a tick-box exercise. This is evidenced by the fact that some communities remain cut off after the initial floods due to entire access roads being washed away, sinkholes and the total destruction caused during the floods. This while lengthy traffic delays are also fast becoming the norm. Both KZN’s business sector and its residents are looking to this Department to ensure prompt repairs. Yet, almost six weeks since the initial floods, no work has even begun in some key areas. This Department can no longer drag its heels in restoring some form of normality and the MEC needs to get her team in gear. The people of our province have already endured so much tragedy. They cannot be made to suffer any more as a result of pure incompetence by this critical Department. Media Enquiries
Sharon Hoosen, MPL DA KZN Spokesperson on Transport
Lauren Silen Media Liaison to the DA in the KZN Legislature
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