PHOTO: DA EASTERN CAPE
The South African National Roads Agency Limited said it was unreasonable to expect it to single-handedly resolve the challenges around the R75 road in Nelson Mandela Bay.
SANRAL listed a number of reasons why the restoration of the road was not moving at the desired pace, saying theft and vandalism of the road infrastructure, project disruptions and delays, as well as instances of extortion, had negatively impacted the routine road maintenance (RRM) project for national roads within the metro.
The roads agency acknowledged that its mandate was to build, manage and maintain the national network, but conceded that it needed help.
It called for greater collaboration from the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality and other stakeholders to restore the road to "acceptable safety standards".
Regional manager for the southern region, Mbulelo Peterson, said the roads agency has experienced challenges since the appointment of the RRM contractor.
He said the contractor has had intermittent site access and had been unable to perform the maintenance required to improve road safety along portions of the road network, including the R75.
Peterson said the contractor was prevented from carrying out its duties by the actions of individuals and groups claiming to be from adjacent municipal wards who demanded to participate in the project.
He said "conditions were unsafe for the contractor to carry out the necessary work on the R75 until consensus is reached.
"Furthermore, the RRM project has experienced incidences of vandalism and theft of the infrastructure, specifically along the R75, for which the replacement rate has become unsustainable."
Peterson said SANRAL had over time held several engagements with municipal stakeholders as well as the Project Liaison Committee (PLC) to find a resolution to the challenges.
"The Office of the Executive Mayor was also approached to intervene," he said.
"SANRAL is engaging with the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, law enforcement through the local and provincial South African Police Service (SAPS), the business community through engagement with the NMB Business Chamber, and the local community to address the challenges and to work towards a resolution," added Peterson.
SANRAL urged stakeholders "to collectively address these challenges, not only in the short term but also into the future."
The Democratic Alliance in the metro has long been calling for "urgent intervention" along the stretch of road that the party said was "fast becoming Nelson Mandela Bay's most dangerous road".
