Bridge delays drag on

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04-08-2025
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South Coast Herald
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The department claims that there are challengers with contract payments that has brought construction to a halt.

It has been two weeks since repairs to the Mzimkhulu River bridge came to an abrupt halt.

Emergency repairs were supposed to run for six months but, with delays and issues in trying to close the river mouth, the October deadline does not look like it will be met.

Leon Garbade (DA councillor in Ray Nkonyeni Municipality), said the ongoing issue of unpaid contractors, who have understandably ceased work, only serves to exacerbate an already dire situation.

He said that observing the bridge, and what is labelled a construction site under Siboniso Duma’s (MEC for Transport and Human Settlements) oversight, reveals a disheartening lack of progress with little to show, even during periods of contractor activity.

“We stand with the affected communities and demand immediate action from the Department of Transport (DoT) to revive this project and others that have similarly faltered. It is time to stop placing blame elsewhere and to focus on getting the government’s house in order,” said Garbade.

Nazir Shaikh, chairperson of the North Cluster Ratepayers’ Association, said the operations of the DoT throughout the South Coast have ceased, including on Marine Drive.

“Regrettably, the public remains inadequately informed. An inspection of the bridge on Monday last week revealed an absence of workers and that construction machinery had been removed from below the bridge. In addition, the condition of the P464 roadway is deteriorating daily, with motor vehicle breakdowns and accidents occurring on a weekly basis,” he said.

Meanwhile, Duma said in last Friday’s Re-tabling of Budget speech that of the R13b budget, the DoT would need between R1.1b and R1.2b on a monthly basis to pay service providers.

This applies to contractors who are responsible for the maintenance and construction of more than 54km of road networks on the South Coast.

He said that the migration with regards the accounts payment system had given problems due to technical glitches, resulting in delays in the payment of invoices.

Duma explained that currently, the DoT is getting only R800m from the provincial treasury and last month only received R560m.

In short, it means ensuring payment to service providers within 30 days is not currently possible.

Duma said the DoT would continue to engage with the provincial treasury to consolidate gains and address this challenge, in particular.

“The department has internalised the fact it will be blamed for not paying invoices, despite having enough budget,” he said.

“This has affected all government departments and the matter is being managed collectively. We have also briefed the Auditor General.”

The spokesperson for the DoT, Ndabezinhle Sibiya, explained that the main aim for the bridge project now is to divert the water from pillar two to pillar eight, which has taken more than three months.

“Once closure of the mouth is concluded at pillar two the project will intensify.”