The Free State Department of Police, Roads and Transport (DoPRT) is yet again under the spotlight, this time around as motorists travel home for the festive season. While other provinces’ list of worries includes fuel hikes or Omicron, Free Staters add another pandemic which is terrible roads.
In May Premier Sefora Ntombela suspended Free State’s Department of Police, Roads and Transport’s Head of Department Sam Mtakati, claiming that the major infrastructure was collapsing under his leadership.
“As Head of the Department, you are ultimately responsible to ensure that once contractors have been appointed to repair an identified road which poses a danger to the public traveling on it, the project is properly managed to its logical conclusion and that Government funds are appropriately spent,” said Ntombela
Ntombela said the failure by Mtakati to ensure that the five major road infrastructure projects are properly managed in her opinion is regarded as serious misconduct.
“I am of the view that this should be properly investigated and I firmly believe that your presence at the workplace may jeopardize this investigation”
“I have consequently decided to suspend you with effect from your receipt of this letter in terms of paragraph 2.7 (2)(a) of the disciplinary code and procedures contained in chapter 7 of the SMS handbook read with paragraph 18 of chapter 8 thereof” read the letter addressed to Mtakati.
It is almost seven months since Mtakati was suspended but roads are still in terrible conditions.
In March this year farmers, taxi associations, businesses as well as community members blocked roads in and out of Ficksburg in protest against deadly state of roads in the area. The protests quickly spread to Fouriesburg and Clocolan.
Step Up SA News received complaints about the number of provincial roads and the team took a long drive in and around Free State. The publisher spotted farmer Brandon Venter using his resources to fix potholes on R57.
Venter told Step Up SA News that R57 has two thousand potholes.
“Here by R57 there are over two thousands potholes in the first 34 kilometers. Not long ago a light motor vehicle hit a pothole just 5 kilo meters outside town, the front wheel burst and the car rolled.”
He continued “Another thing about R57 is that, I had a long-term camera that counts the volume of vehicles and from June 2020 to date its 1400 vehicles driving R57 per day. Cars, trucks, tractors and sorts of vehicles and it’s a number plate camera.”
About the construction that started working a month ago DeVenter said it will take two years to fix potholes in R57.
“On this road to Qwaqwa they started two months ago, they just work one or two days a week and they leave. It’s a contractor from Kerstel. The first potholes that they closed are already open again. It will take two good years to finish this. This is not good”
In Ficksburg, Step Up SA News team then met Selloane Lephoi from Setjhaba sa Ficksburg.
“R56 has never been fixed in years and we lost our loved ones here”
Lephoi said R56 connects South Africa and Lesotho but it’s terrible.
Bad roads have a negative impact on agriculture sector.
Step UP SA News compiled a list of provincial roads with potholes in Free State:
R76 between Viljoenskroon & Orkney
R707 between Lindley and Petrus Steyn
R26 between Fouriesburg and Ficksburg
Reitz and Kestel
Ficksburg and Rosendal
Rosendal and Senekal
Auditor General South Africa reported that Free State Police, Transport and Roads squandered R1.138 billion, of which R96 million is unauthorized expenditure.
Hillary Mophethe, spokesperson for Free State Police, Roads and Transport did not respond to our questions.
The state of the road we travel in from entering Reitz from Petrus Steyn to Kestell its horrific!. It’s no longer potholes but open buckets. We’ve been asking the Free State government to do something about this as the road collapsed immediately after being repaired. People are just busy looting money without caring for people who pay taxes to get services they deserve. Please Mme Sefora we need your harsh response on officials involved in these looting on our infrastructure as you’ve already started.
Are there NO Lawyers out there Prepared to Sui the Free State Govnment. Charges are Endless!Free State Govnment is Directly Responsible for numerous Horric Accidents.How many times do u have to veer away from a pot hole only to Kiss an oncoming Car.My disappointed in my Govnment is Indiscribable!Even the Poorest of the Poorest countries on this Continent boast far Better Roads!Sorry, but You are a discrace.I have resigned to the fact that I will never Drive anywhere in the Free State ….EVER! you almost Killed my Family Free State Government!!Mnx