Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga has announced that Mpumalanga has been encouraged to identify strategic roads that could be handed over to and managed by the South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral).

During her Ministerial oversight visit to Mpumalanga, she highlighted the importance of the continued improvement of municipal and provincial roads to help bolster economic development.

Further, the improvement of Mpumalanga’s road network is set to be intensified, with Chikunga announcing various maintenance and upgrade programmes to be implemented throughout the province.

According to the mayors of many of the province’s municipalities, roads managed by Sanral were in a far better condition. Of Mpumalanga’s 39 000 km road network, about 2 400 km is currently managed by Sanral.

“We have brought together all spheres of government to address the state of municipal and provincial roads in Mpumalanga,” she said.

“We have requested the province to identify strategic roads, as well as gravel roads, to be handed over to Sanral. These will include roads that lead to heritage and tourism sites, along with roads that connect the province to neighbouring countries,” Chikunga highlighted.

The province will receive R1.4-billion from the National Treasury in the form of the Provincial Road Maintenance Grant. Of this grant, 75% must be used for the maintenance of roads, while the remaining 25% is allocated towards construction and upgrades.

Further, Mpumalanga’s strategic location has seen it emerge as an important route for the passage of heavy-duty freight vehicles, which has had a severe impact on the condition of the province’s roads.

In addressing this, Chikunga encouraged the province to identify roads for the Adopt-A-Road Campaign, in which the department would lobby the private sector to assume responsibility for the maintenance of those haulage routes.

“We will engage mining companies, road freight companies and other industries to adopt certain roads. These roads will remain public roads, but will be maintained by private companies, as they are contributors to the rapid degradation of those roads,” she averred.

Operation Vala Zonke was launched in Mpumalanga in August. Chikunga lauded its success in the province but said there was still a need to intensify its implementation.

While the process of identifying these strategic roads was already underway, the project needed to be intensified to help the national Department of Transport plan, she said.

Operation Vala Zonke resulted in the patching of 209 996 m² of potholes and resealing of a further 516 730 m² during the previous financial year. The provincial Department of Public Works, Roads and Transport plans to patch 142 000 m² of potholes and reseal another 1 150 000 m² this year.

“Where we are able to reseal or rehabilitate the road, we will do so, but where we are hindered due to budget constraints, we will intensify the patching of potholes so that roads are usable,” Chikunga noted.

Meanwhile, Mpumalanga Public Works, Roads and Transport MEC Mandla Ndlovu welcomed the Minister's intervention and added that the province had allocated R405-million towards the rehabilitation and upgrading of the strategic road network in the province during the current financial year.

“We will continue working with the national department as well as other stakeholders to ensure that our roads are maintained at an acceptable standard. We also urge all road users to support us by respecting all the rules and regulations of the road,” said Ndlovu.