The DA has been reliably informed that KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Transport MEC, Sipho Hlomuka has allegedly refused to accept an offer by the Eshowe Entumeni Farmers Association to help fix local roads battered by floods.
This after his Department failed to fix the roads themselves, leaving local communities in an untenable situation with service delivery hampered and businesses being crippled.
According to a leaked report – compiled after a meeting in Eshowe on 18 January – officials from the Department of Transport (DoT) regional and district offices told those present that they were dealing with a capacity crisis, with no operators for plant equipment.
At the same meeting, concerned residents were informed that the DoT also has no money to hire additional personnel or even to buy fuel for road maintenance equipment. The meeting concluded with officials telling residents that they hoped the situation would improve with the new financial year, when more funding is allocated.
This entire saga is typical of an ANC-run province where taxpayers’ money is squandered. That the DoT is allegedly unable to perform its basic function of road maintenance – and then goes on to deny residents the opportunity to help themselves – is despicable.
The DA has consistently warned KZN’s people of the misuse of funds by the DoT, leaving emergency work high and dry. This has been witnessed on numerous occasions in recent years as heavy rains continue to cause massive damage to our roads.
Despite the situation, the MEC and his department have been slow to act due to a complete lack of political will, compounded by the fact that they have now run out of money.
KZN’s Taliban faction ANC-run government continues to deprive many communities of basic services and decent roads. A properly maintained transport network forms the backbone of our country’s economy. In KZN, the state of many roads can be likened to the state of our province – broken and unsafe.
The DA demands answers from MEC Hlomuka and we expect him to go to Zululand and offer solutions. This problem is not simply going to go away.
When KZN’s people go to the polls this year, they need to remove an ANC government that has failed them time and again. Only a DA-led government can rescue our province.