The local residents of Machadodorp, near Belfast in Mpumalanga, are concerned about bad roads. The roads are riddled with potholes.
The impassable roads are also blamed for poor investment in the economy of the town as the small town is a tourist destination. It is also a passageway to Manzana in Badplaas, Carolina, and Makhonjwa mountains, the genesis of life.
Motorists had been complaining about the roads in and around the town of Machadodorp. Thokozane Shabangu says it is a nightmare to drive on the roads in town.
“The situation right now is very, very bad. It has never been like this before the past four years this road was extreme, now is at the highest point whereby you cannot fix this road unless you gravel it or you refresh it or you start afresh.”
Meanwhile, the embattled eMkhazeni Municipality has acknowledged the challenges. Executive Mayor Thomas Ngwenya says plans are afoot to repair the road infrastructure in the next five financial years.
“Our challenge now with regards to the poor roads conditions, particularly in our towns. We have got Watervalboven, we got Machadodorp and we got Belfast. So in the next five years, in terms of our manifesto, we are going to focus on these roads. We have also written a letter to the office of the Premier of Mpumalanga province to say the Premier should intervene and assist us because we are a small municipality.”
Ngwenya hopes that investors will invest in the town and boost the ailing economy.
Residents of Pienaar, near Mbombela, are up in arms over pothole-riddled roads :
