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A crucial flood-damaged road, that requires little more than political will and a couple of days’ worth of work to repair, continues to be side-lined by Joe Morolong municipality.

When it was flooded, residents made use of a boat to cross over from one area to another. Two years later, aside from the water having subsided, nothing has been done to restore the road to a driveable condition. Instead, paving bricks remain scattered on extremely uneven ground that was previously washed away. See pics here and here.

The road has remained a safety hazard to the community. While the time and costs required to repair the road are minimal, no attempts have been made by the municipality to repair it.

The road is key in economic infrastructure as it must be crossed in order to reach the one and only hotel in Van Zylsrus. It is also the access road to game farms, largely used by tourists in hunting season. Failure to fix the road, therefore deters tourists from visiting the area and damages local businesses.

The DA has addressed the matter with the Joe Morolong municipality and the John Taole Gaetsewe District Municipality, to no avail. Given that they have had 24 months to do something about it, and chose not to, shows that their priorities do not lie with local economic development or road safety.

The matter will be referred to the DA’s provincial spokesperson of COGHSTA, to address in the legislature.

The municipality may not simply choose to forsake its mandate in respect of the maintenance and repair of municipal roads. Joe Morolong owes it to all people living and working in the Van Zylsrus area, to help keep the economy afloat by investing in crumbling road infrastructure.

Issued by Nottie Eilerd, Cllr - John Taole Gaetsewe District Municipality