Community rejects contractor’s proposal to divert road project

After years of waiting and protests for a 13.6 km tarred road near the Kruger National Park between Belfast, Somerset, and Justicia in the Bushbuckridge Local Municipality, community members are unhappy with the contractor’s proposal to divert the project meant to pass through their area.

The proposal came after months of delays in construction that was initially set to be completed 22 months.

At a meeting held last week Sunday, Community Liaison Officer Calvin Mhlongo informed the community about the contractor’s (Khulane Quality Plant Hire) proposal, which contained a recovery plan to divert the project from the Belfast area where the construction of the D4382 road is underway to Justicia.

The community rejected the proposal, and warned that they would protest if the contractor pressed ahead with the plan.

The provincial spokesperson for the transport department, Bongani Dhlamini, conceded that the project was behind schedule and the contractor has had to come up with a catch-up plan.

“Among the options discussed was the need to increase resources and work from more than one section. The final plan has not been submitted to the engineers for review, and adoption for implementation. The review will consider the practicalities of access, project risks, traffic accommodation and other impact on the road users. If the contractor opts to have another team or teams working in other road sections it is also acceptable if agreeable to the Engineers,” he said.

Asked whether the project would still be completed in 22 months, he said there was still sufficient time for the contractor to catch up and complete it.

Dhlamini appealed to all stakeholders to be supportive of the contractor's efforts to deliver the project, saying: “The department appreciates concerned stakeholders visiting the site without being disruptive and to minimize misinformation. The project has adequate process control and quality assurance measures in place, it does not need pressure from any other stakeholder to deliver the project to the design specifications.”

On complaints by those involved in the project of not getting paid, the department insisted that this was because there were “unreasonable demands” by the plant owners, but said the matter had been resolved.

However, subcontractors disputed this and said that they had only received 25% of their four months’ salaries, adding that the next payment was due by Friday this week.

Residents of Belfast and the surrounding communities have on several occasions embarked on violent protest action, demanding a tarred road, causing serious disruptions and road closures leading to the Kruger Gate.

In November, last year then Transport MEC Mandla Ndlovu held a sod-turning ceremony for the upgrading of the D4382 Road. At the time, Ndlovu said the project would be completed within 22 months. However, seven months later, the 13.6km tar road project appears to be characterized by serious delays.

Some of the sub-contractors involved in the project said it would take a few years to complete, as there were problems associated with the demands made by some people in the community.

“We are six months behind schedule. There is no way we will be able to complete the 13 km road project on time. We had to go back to the drawing board and do serious excavation, match the new levels, and then prepare for the roadbed which might take weeks,” said the sub-contractor.

He said that he was perturbed because the community was getting frustrated and the matter had the potential to escalate and delay the project.

Last week, the Sunday Independent visited the site where the construction is currently underway, and unlike the previous six months when the publication reported about the slow progress on the site, found that excavations had begun and there were other activities underway.

According to the department, road infrastructure plays a significant role in the economy of Mpumalanga and the country as a whole.

In the past five years, the department said, it had focused more on the rehabilitation and maintenance of ailing infrastructure, including those that connect villages. Additionally, part of the work included the construction of bridges, the upgrading of gravel roads to tar, and the rehabilitation of old tarred roads.