Tafelkop shoddy constructed road deteriorates rapidly

TAFELKOP

Residents of Tafelkop Village in Elias Motsoaledi Local Municipality (EMLM) Ward 28 are raising concerns over the deplorable state of their newly constructed road, which was supposed to improve accessibility and connectivity to the main road.

Despite being barely four years old, the road has already deteriorated significantly, with residents describing it as “rotten” and “worn out” like a road built 20 years ago.

According to residents, the poor condition of the road is causing inconvenience to the community, whether they are traveling on foot or by vehicles.

The residents are frustrated with the situation, and one resident who requested anonymity expressed their disappointment, saying: “The road is inconveniencing our poor residents, both those traveling on foot or cars.”

He indicated that the initial budget for the project was R40 million, but there have been undisclosed top-ups, which have raised concerns among residents about transparency and accountability.

“This lack of transparency has fuelled residents’ suspicions about corruption and mismanagement of public funds. The road spans 5.6 kilometres, and residents are questioning the quality of work done, given its rapid deterioration,” he said.

He added that concerns were raised with their local ward councillor without being addressed.

“It is not a matter of raising it with the councillor anymore as he also mentioned in one of his meetings that they thought the right contract was hired, but he made a shoddy road, which is unfortunate. We want to know what the municipality is doing to address this problem,” he said.

The concerned community member said residents are eagerly awaiting a response from EMLM on what steps will be taken to address the problem and restore the road to a good condition. At the time of going to press, EMLM could not respond to enquiries sent by the publication.