The DA in uThukela District has written to the Parliament Transport Portfolio Committee to request an urgent follow up on their oversight visit a year ago to the R74 Oliviershoek Pass Road (view letter here).
The Members of Parliament saw for themselves the distressing extent of neglect within the Okhahlamba road network that is causing significant logistical challenges for the local community, tourism and agriculture.
Their oversight visit in April 2022 was to ensure that the urgent maintenance on the Okhahlamba roads was undertaken. Maintenance was subsequently started but stopped many months ago and is now INCOMPLETE and a danger to motorists (view images here, here and here).
The DA has been tirelessly advocating for urgent intervention from the Parliament Transport Portfolio Committee and the KZN Department of Transport to address the alarming state of the roads in the Okhahlamba Municipality. Situated adjacent to the UNESCO Drakensberg Park, the region relies heavily on tourism and agriculture as its primary economic drivers.
Following the Parliamentary oversight visit, several road projects were initiated, including the rehabilitation of the vital R74 Oliviershoek Pass to the Free State.Unfortunately, these crucial endeavors ground to a halt as contractors were left unpaid by the KZN Department of Transport.
The DA in Okhahlamba has once again approached the Parliament Transport Portfolio Committee, urging them to finalize and prioritize the intervention they initially initiated. The irony of the provincial ANC’s proposal to erect a cable car into Lesotho while failing to maintain the existing roads is mindboggling and has not gone unnoticed by the people of Okhahlamba.
A robust and safe road network is indispensable for sustaining a thriving regional economy. This reality has been underscored by recent statistics, which demonstrate that the DA-governed Western Cape, with its world-class road infrastructure, stands as the sole province in the country to have created a significant number of new job opportunities.
The DA in Okhahlamba calls upon the KZN Department of Transport and the provincial government to prioritize the urgent repair and maintenance of the roads within the Okhahlamba municipality. Failure to address this critical issue not only jeopardizes the livelihoods of residents but also undermines the potential for economic growth and prosperity in the region.