By Anita Dangazele
- Eastern Cape Transport MEC Xolile Nqatha visited Elliotdale after a weeklong protest over poor roads, housing, and water supply that shut down the town.
- Residents demand proper road construction, saying bad roads hurt tourism and jobs; the MEC promised to listen and outline infrastructure plans.
The tourism potential of the Eastern Cape remains untapped because of the province’s poor road infrastructure.
Transport MEC Xolile Nqatha paid a visit to the rural town of Elliotdale on Thursday to listen to residents’ concerns.
The meeting was prompted by a weeklong protest by disgruntled residents that brought the town to a complete standstill last week.
The residents are demanding safer roads, housing and proper water supply. The biggest issue is a lack of maintenance on roads leading to the town.
Residents say they are unable to get to town on rainy days.
The roads are filled with potholes, with the tar worn off due to lack of maintenance.
Elliotdale is home to some of the country’s top tourist attractions, such as the Coffee Bay resort, Hole-in-the-Wall and Bulungula, known for their long untouched beaches.
However, getting there is a mission as the roads are not up to standard.
Community leader Bhuti Ngesi said they want the provincial government to build the roads because the local municipality has tried and failed.
“Our biggest issue is that we do not have roads in this town. The road started from Gogozayo leading to Coffee Bay is a mess, also the road leading to Cwebe and Nkanya beaches.
“These places create jobs for our people and if tourists are not able to get there, then we’re not able to feed our families,” he said.
Ngesi said they’re fighting for the town’s roads to be prioritised.
Taxi owners in the area are also demanding tarred roads connecting to the N2 highway.
The road connecting Elliotdale to the N2 is an unmaintained gravel road.
“All we ask from the MEC is for him to fix the road from Gogozayo to Elliotdale. We don’t want potholes to be filled; we want that road to be started from scratch because the previous work done was shoddy.
“Most of the roads here cannot be used especially when it’s raining – even today we had to leave our cars behind to get here,” said Lindile Sityebi.
Provincial Transport spokesperson Unathi Binqose confirmed that Nqatha was in Elliotdale to provide “an ear” to residents.
“Yes, we can confirm that the MEC is visiting the community of Xhora, Elliotdale in the Eastern Cape. It has been very volatile in the past few days; we’ve seen a lot of protests over a myriad of issues ranging from lack of water, housing and roads.
“The MEC is going there with a listening ear but also to outline our roads and infrastructure rollout plan and to make them understand that they are in our thoughts and plans,” Binqose said.
Pictured above: A water-filled pothole on a road in Elliotdale, and workers trying to mend a dirt road.
Source: Supplied
