R25 Road crisis deepens
Dennilton
Residents of Dennilton Village in Moutse, Elias Motsoaledi Local Municipality (EMLM), stated that they are disheartened by the poor state of the R25 Road, which they have been raising with government authorities for the past five years.
The busiest R25 Road links Limpopo, Mpumalanga and Gauteng Provinces, carrying out important economic and social activities on a daily basis.
According to residents, over these years, government has been making unfulfilled promises while motorists continue to traverse this dangerous road that reported a number of fatalities due to its poor state.
In the latest incident, a tragic accident occurred on the R25 Road near Dennilton where a Toyota Quantum minibus taxi, which was ferrying passengers traveling from Benoni to Groblersdal, lost control and overturned.
One person sadly passed away and several others were injured and hospitalised. The deceased is reportedly to be from Dihlabaneng Village around the Schoornoord area. It is alleged that the fatal accident was caused by the poor condition of the road.
Bolsheviks Party of South Africa Leader, Seun Mogotji, said in April of 2024, former Limpopo MEC for Public Works, Roads and Infrastructure, Nkakareng Rakgoale, flanked by politicians and Roads Agency Limpopo (RAL) officials, paid a visit to Dennilton and boldly made a commitment that the R25 Road will be given attention and upgraded to required standards.
“This is a symbol of neglect by the government because to this end, nothing has happened. I guess it was just electioneering campaign strategy since we were approaching the May 29 polls,” he said.
Mogotji informed that the unfortunate part is that Mpumalanga Province fixed their part of the R25 and it becomes a nightmare once you start entering the Limpopo part of the road.
“Gaping potholes are everywhere and they will get worse when heavy rainy season starts. The culverts are still blocked which will result in water covering the road surface making it even harder to spot the potholes in time to avoid them,” explained Mogotji.
Mogotji indicated that as we approach the festive season, more lives will be lost on the road, which he described as a “death trap of a road simply because the Limpopo Government does not care.”
“The R25 is a busy road that links Mpumalanga, Limpopo and Gauteng. It is actually an economic heartbeat of these provinces as trucks and the general public use this road to carry out their errands. Maintaining the R25 will not only save lives but will keep the economy afloat,” he said.
Mogotji said they hope that the new MEC will listen to the community concerns and pay attention to the deadly road.
“We do not want to lose more lives on that road and we call on the Limpopo Provincial Government to prioritise fixing the R25 Road,” he said.
At the time of going to press, RAL Spokesperson, Danny Legodi, could not respond to enquiries sent by the publication.
