Note to Editors: Please note Riona Gokool, MPL sound bite in English
The DA in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) will call for answers from the province’s Department of Transport (DoT) over the failed R215million Mooi River Main Road P164 rehabilitation project – due for completion by August this year – and which is currently standing at only 21% complete.
The road, which runs between Rosetta and Kamberg, was inspected by KZN’s Transport portfolio committee last week. Regrettably, it is a case study in poor contractor performance and failed oversight.
To date, only R45.5million has been spent, with a Community Participation Goals (CPG) spend of R5.6 million – far below the planned R48.5 million allocation. Meanwhile, the contractor’s ongoing financial collapse has crippled progress, with unpaid CPG subcontractors, plant breakdowns and repeated stoppages. Despite various interventions by DoT and consultants, the contractor has failed to recover, with the department now preparing to terminate the contract.
Local communities and agribusinesses depend on P164 for safe access to markets, schools and services, yet they continue to suffer as the road deteriorates further. This raises serious questions around project management and contractor vetting by the DoT.
The development was designed to be a positive intervention within communities through infrastructure delivery, skills development, and job creation. It is unacceptable for projects such as the P164 to collapse mid-implementation, leaving communities stranded and taxpayers’ money wasted.
The DA calls for:
• Greater accountability for contractors who fail to deliver, including stricter penalty enforcement and blacklisting of repeat offenders
• Improved oversight and monitoring by the DoT, to identify risks earlier and intervene more effectively
• Prioritisation of community impact, ensuring that projects deliver tangible benefits in line with DoT’s mandate and;
• Transparent reporting on project expenditure, delays, and penalties imposed.
KZN’s communities deserve safe, reliable infrastructure that improves their daily lives. As a partner within KZN’s Government of Provincial Unity (GPU), the DA will continue to uphold its oversight role and hold the DoT to account. The vision of the FIS programme – changing lives through road infrastructure – must be realised in practice, not just on paper.