The poor maintenance of rural roads in the Eastern Cape has led communities to dig into their pockets to fix the main road leading to their villages.
Residents in Ngcizele, Debese, Nontshinga, Ncerhane, and Nombanjana in the Mnquma Local Municipality’s Ward 28 said the roads in the area are so bad that on rainy days hearses cannot get to villages and families have to use donkey carts to transport the dead.
People are forced to walk many kilometres to get to their homes while carrying supplies and groceries on their shoulders.
Tired of having to walk long distances to get to schools and clinics, the five villages collected R2,500 each to hire a tractor-loader backhoe to help them repair the main road.
Community leader Siphumle Matiso said the last time the government sent a contractor to maintain roads in Mnquma’s Ward 28 was in 2001.
“After reporting this matter countless times to our ward councillor, we decided to come together as residents and construct the road ourselves,” he said.
“We’re tired of waiting for the government.”
Matiso said residents have always had to take matters into their own hands to get services in their community.
“We even built our clinic ourselves with mud bricks. The government joined us in 2015 to get it to look like it is now, but it has never been officially opened. There’s only one professional nurse in the clinic that services all the five villages in this ward.”
Ward 28 councillor, Phumzile Mbovane said the poor condition of the main road and the minor roads branching off from it had been reported to the council many times.
“I was told that since it [the main road] is one of the roads that lead to the coast, the transport department must fix it but the department keeps on postponing construction and prioritising other roads,” Mbovane said.
“When the residents decided to take it upon themselves to construct the road, I supported them because I am also affected by the state of this road and I am tired of waiting.”
Mnquma municipality’s communication office could not be reached for comment.
Pictured above: Residents of Ward 28 in Mnquma fix the main road.
Image source: Supplied
