KZN slams brakes on new road projects amid R2,6 billion debt crisis

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12-06-2026
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The Witness
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Transport MEC Siboniso Duma said the department could no longer afford to embark on new projects and would instead focus on paying off its backlog of debt.

The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport has effectively halted all new road infrastructure projects as it battles a deepening financial crisis, mounting debt and growing pressure to settle billions of rands owed to contractors.

Addressing the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature’s Transport portfolio committee on Tuesday, Transport MEC Siboniso Duma said the department could no longer afford to embark on new projects and would instead focus on paying off its backlog of debt and completing existing work.

“From here going forward, we are not going to overspend,” said Duma.

The announcement means no new road infrastructure projects have been budgeted for as the department grapples with severe funding shortages.

According to the department, outstanding invoices owed to service providers have ballooned to about R2,6 billion, with many contractors waiting well beyond government’s prescribed 30-day payment period.

The financial strain has already delayed several major projects across the province.

One example is the rehabilitation of the R102 uMzimkhulu River Bridge, which was scheduled for completion in August last year but had reached only 56% completion by February this year.

Department officials attributed the delays largely to repeated work stoppages caused by the late payment of contractors.

Duma said the department’s immediate priority was to stabilise its finances and complete projects already under construction.

“We are halting new projects so that we can focus on clearing the backlog,” he said.

The department maintains approximately 34 000km of provincial roads, but estimates that close to R50 billion is required to adequately preserve and rehabilitate the network.

The widening gap between available funding and maintenance needs has left many roads deteriorating and delayed critical upgrades.

The financial pressures are also forcing the department to review public transport spending.

Provincial Transport head of department Zibusiso Dlamini told the committee that commuter bus service subsidies were being reviewed as part of broader efforts to curb overspending.

“Yes, there is currently a process to look into that as part of mitigating issues of overspending,” he said.

Dlamini said the department had considered several options, including reducing the number of kilometres operators could claim subsidies for, terminating contracts, or finding a solution that would protect both operators and commuters.

“We opted for the latter,” he said.

Despite the challenges, the department believes its efforts to stabilise its finances are beginning to show results.

Last month, it announced that R700 million had been paid to contractors, a move it said would ease pressure on delayed projects and improve relations with service providers.