GRAAFF-REINET NEWS - A huge investment made into road infrastructure in the province will go a long way in addressing issues raised by the SA Human Rights Commission in its recent report on road infrastructure in the province.
This is according to Eastern Cape Transport MEC Xolile Nqatha, who commented on Tuesday on the investment made by provincial government and the South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral).
Substantial backlog
One of the most pressing issues identified in the report, which calls the situation a 'human rights violation', is the substantial backlog in road infrastructure development in the Eastern Cape, with only 9% of roads being paved, as opposed to the national average of 25%.
This historical backlog is exacerbated by a lack of funding.
The substantial investment into road infrastructure in the province could effectively turn the Eastern Cape into a construction site.
R61 near Engcobo and N2 to be upgraded
The provincial Department of Transport has its sights on rural roads, maintaining the network, and upgrading several roads in the province from gravel to tar. The latest road to be tarred is Clarkebury Road, connecting the R61 near Engcobo and the N2 road near Dutywa, while several other roads are at various stages of similar upgrades.
These include Willowvale to Dwesa, the R61 to Hluleka Game Reserve as well as the R72 to Hamburg coastal resort.
Sanral's investment into road construction projects across the province - such as the upgrade of the portion of the R63 from Bhisho to Qumrha - amounts to billions of rands.
The bulk of the investment is in the eastern part of the Eastern Cape, which is the most populous area of the province, with a well-documented problem of dilapidated road infrastructure.
Pledge to improve road infrastructure
"We acknowledge and welcome the report by the SA Human Rights Commission, and we wish to assure them that we as the province, working with Sanral, are working tirelessly to change the picture and improve our road infrastructure network," said Nqatha.
"The work by Sanral complements well the investment that we as the province continue to make on roads to not only change the face our province, but to set it on a clear economic growth path."
He said the demand for road infrastructure is massive and the department acknowledges that its "strides are perhaps not to everyone's satisfaction", but pledged to continue investing towards an improved road infrastructure for everyone in the Eastern Cape.
