The controversial R76 route linking Kroonstad and Steynsrus, which has been undergoing repairs for more than seven years, has already cost taxpayers more than R400 million, yet the road surface is still not properly fixed and sections are already starting to crumble again.
This week, the Free State Legislature’s joint Portfolio Committees on Public Accounts and Finance as well as Public Works, Infrastructure, Roads, Transport and Human Settlements conducted an oversight visit to monitor the project’s progress and quality.
Repairs to the R76 started in 2019 and were originally supposed to be completed in 2022. After years of delays and maladministration, the project remains incomplete.
The initial contract of approximately R271 million, awarded to the contractor Sedtrade, became mired in controversy after the work dragged on for years and the road surface began to crumble in several places.
The project eventually came to a standstill in 2023 following disputes between the contractor and the Free State Department of Community Safety, Roads and Transport.
A new contract of approximately R146 million has since been awarded, pushing the total cost of the project to more than R400 million, while residents and motorists must still contend with a dangerous and poor-quality road.
The Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) referred the matter to the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) in 2023 already, and will keep demanding answers regarding the sheer squandering of taxpayers’ money, poor contract management and the lack of accountability.
The mismanagement of this project forced farmers and residents to shell out and pay for temporarily repairing the worst potholes, while the ANC government wasted hundreds of millions on the same road.
It is an absolute disgrace that communities themselves have to try and keep critical infrastructure functional, while maladministration and corruption are literally eroding the Free State’s roads.
This is our time to stand up against the decay and squandering of our tax money.
Register now and vote for the Freedom Front Plus on 4 November to see actual improvement in the Free State.
