By ‘Odidi Matai-Sigudla
The Eastern Cape Department of Transport says it would cost over R602 million to tar the road from the N2 highway to Alicedale, and the cost is too high.
The department’s spokesperson, Unathi Binqose, told Grocott’s Mail that to regravel the road costs R10.9 million, and the department’s plan is to do this only once every seven years.
The news has angered the ward committee of Alicedale, who say the terrible condition of the road is ruining their lives and that they were never informed that a 2007 promise by the government to tar the road had been put on ice – permanently.
In May 2007, Thobile Mhlahlo, then the MEC for Safety, Liaison, Roads and Transport, promised residents at the launch of the Alicedale Road Construction Project in Alicedale that the road from Alicedale to the N2 highway would be tarred at a cost of R45 million. Mhlahlo said then that the project would take less than three years.
“But … nothing has been done after that,” said Vuyani Nesi, an Alicedale ward councillor. The Alicedale ward committee later held a meeting with the South African National Roads Agency SOC Ltd (Sanral), the implementing agent for the Eastern Cape Roads and Transport Department, and was told there was no budget.
Zanemvula Ntoyanto, ward committee secretary, said the committee was also told there was no need to tar the gravel road because many other roads in the area were in a worse condition. “There is no need for us to tar this road as long as it can be bladed now and then,” Ntoyanto said officials told them.
Blading involves using a mechanical grader to redistribute surface material over a gravel road surface.
Binqose confirmed to Grocott’s Mail that the road would not be tarred. “The project is not viable and not affordable and does not have a favourable rate of return on investment. There is currently no budget for the Alicedale road until next year in April when the new budgets are loaded,” he said.
Binqose said there was not even a budget to maintain the gravel road currently. He said the road was “bladed” at the start of 2023.
However, the ward committee says the gravel road has never been appropriately bladed. Ntoyanto said the workers would only spread gravel on the first portion of the road or cover up visible potholes. This has affected the town severely. “The fact that there’s no tar road from the N2 highway to Alicedale means that business is not coming to Alicedale, said Vusumzi Zembeta, a ward committee member. “Everything that’s supposed to come to Alicedale is difficult because of the [gravel]road.”
The committee says they have been left in the dark about the future. “We’re sitting here; it’s like we don’t have accurate information about the whole story about the road,” added Brendon Klaase, another ward committee member. “Sarah Baartman District Municipality told us that the provincial government will sit with Sanral, and Sanral will take it further. Up until now, we don’t have all that information about what is going to happen.”
