Mareseleng road washed away after less than a year of completion

MARESELENG

Less than 10 months after the Mareseleng access road was handed to the communities by the Fetakgomo Tubatse Local Municipality, some parts of the R40 million road was washed away in flooding on October 27.
The damages on the newly completed road has led to community members questioning the quality of the access road. Most locals vented on social media that ‘it was poor workmanship by the contractors.’
One resident from Mareseleng said, “The road was not even used for a year but already it is damaged, we cannot blame the heavy rainfall, this is just shoddy work.”

After, learning about the damages, FTLM’s mayor, Eddie Maila, led a team to assess the damages on the Mareseleng access road on October 28.
Maila said the contractor and the engineer has committed to start with the repairs on the damaged portion of the road by Tuesday (October 29)

He assured the community of Fetakgomo Tubatse that the municipality will always be available to address challenges whenever they arise. “Money allocated for projects must be utilised effectively to improve communities by implementing quality and sustainable projects. The vision of building a city will only be realised by the quality of projects implemented.”
He said the mayor’s office is always available to engage communities at all times. He has reiterated that the FTLM will not hesitate to take action against contractors who do shoddy work and do not prioritise quality and sustainability.
The 5.7km stretch of Mareseleng road was handed over to the Mareseleng communities on February 21. The project was worth R40m and included an access bridge. This road links Mareseleng to the R37. It also connects to the community of Mashifane Park and some nearby villages.

Meanwhile the Sekhukhune Times has learnt from sources within the municipality, that current municipal manager (MM) Mogaremedi Makgata has been suspended by the FTLM. Under Makgata’s reign, the Auditor General, revealed the FTLM shockingly spent about R36.6 million on financial consultants to do basic functions like tax services. Makgata was appointed in November 2022 by the FTLM.