Makhuduthamaga road construction workers go four months without salaries

GLEN COWIE/PHOKOANE – The Glen Cowie to Phokoane Access Road Project, a flagship infrastructure upgrade for Makhuduthamaga Local Municipality (MLM), remains under construction, but a four‑month payment backlog from the municipality to the main contractor, Stonefound Engineering Solutions, is beginning to bite.

While work continues on site, labourers, sub-contractors and nearby residents are feeling the strain of delayed wages and an unsecured excavation that threatens safety and dignity.

Since November 2025, dozens of workers on the project say they have not received a single salary payment.

“We’ve been on this site every day, laying sub‑base, compacting, and doing earthworks, but our bank accounts stay empty. My children are going to school on an empty stomach, and I can’t afford transport. It’s a daily struggle,” said one of the workers who did not want to be named.

He said wage arrears have created a ripple effect and families are cutting back on essentials. “We’re living on borrowed time, we need that money now, not in three months,” said the construction worker.

In addition, the construction has left a large, open pit near the road alignment, dug during the construction of the project.

With the current rainy season, residents fear that the pit would be filled with water and, because it remains un‑barricaded, it poses a drowning hazard to children and livestock.

The pit is right next to the Phokoane cemetery and residents claim that if the water keeps rising, it could erode the soil around the graves and disturb them.

In a statement issued by Stonefound Engineering Solutions Chief Executive Officer, Frans Ledwaba, the company acknowledged the payment delay and its impact on site operations.

Ledwaba added that the company has been awaiting payment from Makhuduthamaga Local Municipality since November 2025 and apologised for both the delayed salaries and the lack of timely communication.

“We wish to inform you that, due to current cash‑flow constraints, some site activities will be placed on hold with immediate effect. As a result, certain project activities may be temporarily suspended until payment is received from the client or alternative funding arrangements are secured,” said Ledwaba.

He added that during this period, and following direct communication with subcontractors whose services or equipment may be off‑hired, subcontractors may, at their discretion, remove their machinery from the site or secure it within the site camp.

Attempts to obtain comment from MLM were unsuccessful by press time.