FTLM mayor hands over Mareseleng Access Bridge and 5.7 kilometre road 

MARESELENG

Gone are the days when Mareseleng residents will be mugged when crossing the single lane bridge in the village. The community led by the Bakone Phuti Tribal Authority representatives, Kgoshigadi Riba, and the local councilor Tshepo Makutu were the recipients of the Mareseleng Access Bridge and a 5.7 kilometre road on Wednesday February 21.

The road links Mareseleng to the R37. It also connects to the community of Mashifane Park and nearby villages . Fetakgomo Tubatse Local Municipality’s mayor Eddie Maila officially handed the R40 million worth project to more than 200 delighted community members.

Handing over the completed project, Maila thanked the community of Mareseleng for their support during the building of the bridge, and erecting of the road.

“We are gathered here today to officially hand over the Mareseleng project to the community of Ward 25 in particular the village of Mareseleng. This is an honour and privilege for this council to fulfil the promise made to change the lives of our communities. The community of Mareseleng has been starved of service delivery for many years and here we are today to hand over a project worth more than R40 million,” said the mayor.

He thanked Kgoshigadi Riba and the tribal council for working with government to make this project a success. 

“We are also happy that during the implementation of the project, many people benefitted in terms of employment and business opportunities. This project is going to change the lives of many people in different ways. The face of this village has completely changed since access and travelling distance has been improved. Many economic activities will take place due to accessibility and turnaround time. The bridge has been widened to allow two vehicles to pass with ease. We are no longer going to be worried about the effects of heavy rains which in the past, were making it difficult for people to cross over.”

Maila made an appeal for the community to take care of this project and increase its lifespan. “We must desist from damaging infrastructure when we are confronted by challenges. The doors of the Office of the Mayor are always opened for any engagement at any given time. We cannot afford to damage our legacy, but our main objective is to guard against any vandalism especially on infrastructural projects.”

He commended the traditional leaders for playing an important role in ensuring that projects are not delayed during the implementation. He said this has assisted the FTLM to spend 100% on both MIG and INEP projects.

According to the mayor, in the 2022/23 financial year, the FTLM received an additional allocation of R80 million because they surpassed the targets that were set for mid-year performance.

“We are hopeful that this year, we are going to get another additional allocation because by 31 December 2023, our performance was at 69%. This is possible because of the cooperation from your leadership and cooperation from other stakeholders.”

Maila said the FTLM will roll out the programme to hand over all the completed projects to the beneficiaries . ” We do this because we want our communities to have a sense of ownership and pride. We are happy that our programme starts here in Mareseleng on a project that was highly recommended during the Presidential Imbizo held In July 2023.”

The community was satisfied with the bridge. “We are relieved that FTLM has finally heeded our pleas for a bridge and a proper road. The new bridge will make it easier for everyone to access schools and other facilities,” said one community member and motorist Dorcus Makofane.

Kgoshigadi Riba thanked the FTLM and Maila for bringing services to the people.” We applaud you for bringing services to the people. Please continue with the great work that you are doing, this will improve our communities for the better.”

The Mareseleng Access Bridge and road project commenced during mid-2022, the project was successfully completed just before the end of December 2023. Two contractors partnered to ensure a proper road and a top-quality access bridge was constructed. The contractors thanked the community for supporting them in orchestrating these successful projects.