The ANC-led Gauteng government’s consistent refusal to hand over its share of Moloto Road to SANRAL for upgrades is costing people their lives.
Limpopo and Mpumalanga have handed over their share of this road to SANRAL which has invested R3,7 billion in the project while the Gauteng share has not yet received any budget allocation.
The DA has learnt that the Gauteng government instructed SANRAL to stop with the design work last year until further notice because the road was not on their priority list and they had not yet budgeted for the project.
It is ironic that the Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport is refusing to hand over Moloto Road while at the same time they don’t have the budget to maintain the road. In the 2018/19 financial year, the department returned R182 million to Treasury, yet this money could have been spent on upgrading the Moloto Road.
The former Gauteng MEC for Roads and Transport, Ishmael Vadi, told the Finance Committee during the budget hearings at the Gauteng Provincial Legislature that Gauteng won’t hand over their share of Moloto Road because it’s an asset for the province.
The ‘Road of Death’ cannot be an asset unless it has been properly upgraded and consistently maintained.
The Moloto Road is the most dangerous road in the country and has the highest number of crashes recorded. This road does not have any street lights; it’s a single lane road with no clear road signs. The residents of Kameeldrift East claim that their plea for this road to be upgraded has fallen on deaf ears and subsequently many lives have been lost due to how dangerous it is to cross the road.
The road is very congested and it’s difficult for pedestrians from Plot 174 and 175 informal settlements to commute to and from the area as many side roads are interlinked with this ‘Road of Death’. Furthermore, there is a massive development in the East of Tshwane which will add enormous pressure to this road.
The ANC Gauteng government must be held accountable for any loss of lives on the dangerous Moloto Road.
The DA will engage with the various role-players including, SANRAL, the Department of Roads and Transport and the City of Tshwane. We will also table questions in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature to ascertain when will this road upgraded and the time frame thereof.
We will continue to put pressure on both the new MEC for Roads and Transport, Jacob Mamabolo and Gauteng Premier, David Makhura to ensure that they prioritize the upgrading of this road as a matter of urgency.