Note to Editors: Please find Riona Gokool, MPL sound bite in English
The DA is alarmed by recent findings by the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Transport portfolio committee, following oversight of three critical infrastructure projects in the province.
The uMhlathuze river bridge, in the Nkandla/Nkungumathe area – initially budgeted at R31million and scheduled for completion by November 2019 – today remains abandoned at 83% completion. The contractor, ISF Construction Services, is off-site due to cash flow problems while the project has already exceeded the original budget and now stands at an estimated R34million, without any clear plan for completion.
The DA will insist that KZN’s Department of Transport (DoT) fast-track the appointment of a replacement contractor through a transparent and competitive process and that the findings of a Special Investigative Unit (SIU) investigation be publicly released and acted upon to ensure consequence management against officials who failed in their oversight roles.
At the uMdloti river bridge, in Ndwedwe (view here) the portfolio committee found that despite the project being handed over to a second contractor, WSM Group, in July 2023, it was only 44% complete as of April 2025 and is running eight months behind schedule. The initial budget of R38million has now ballooned to R79 million, with penalties being disputed by the contractor due to delays, some of which are self-inflicted, including a lack of adequate site security and health and safety violations.
The Klein Boesmans (Mathamo) river bridge project, in Wembezi, (view here) is perhaps the most disheartening of all three. Leek Construction abandoned the site after only achieving 65% progress, while expenditure sits at an alarming 97%. Consultants failed to deliver and DoT officials did not even attend the oversight, showing blatant disregard for parliamentary accountability.
The DA calls for the following;
• A disciplinary inquiry against officials who failed to attend the oversight visit, with sanctions for non-compliance and;
• That the termination process be expedited and a competent contractor appointed by October 2025, under a stricter performance monitoring regime.
These projects collectively demonstrate an institutional failure to enforce contractor performance, irregular expenditure without corresponding output, poor or non-existent intergovernmental collaboration, particularly with municipalities and a failure to protect the rights and economic participation of local communities. To prevent these recurring failures and ensure better service delivery the DA will insist on mandatory pre-appointment financial assessments for all contractors, particularly regarding cash flow sustainability.
The DA stands firmly with the communities of Nkandla, Ndwedwe, and Wembezi who continue to suffer due to the DoT’s gross negligence. Roads and bridges are not luxuries – they are the arteries of socio-economic life in rural South Africa. Continued delays are not just technical setbacks, they are human rights violations that undermine education, healthcare, and economic development.
As a member of KZN’s Government of Provincial Unity (GPU) we will continue to hold the DoT to account to ensure that these communities receive the services they deserve, without further delay.