Municipality tackles R66 potholes after delays from transport department

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02-06-2025
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Zululand Observer
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Mthonjaneni Municipality takes charge on R66 repairs as pleas to Department of Transport go unanswered

Mthonjaneni Municipality listened to the pleas of motorists, with repairs started on the pothole-riddled R66, also known as Piet Retief Road.

This road, which runs through Melmoth, has seen thousands of motorists raising serious concerns about the danger posed by the state of the road.

Mthonjaneni Mayor Mbangiseni Biyela said the municipality has made numerous attempts to reach out to the Department of Transport (DoT), to no avail.

“We have written two communiques to the department, and we have not received any feedback. In both letters, we provided the department with a list of roads that require urgent attention,” said Biyela.

The roads included: the R66/R34, P253, P227, D256, D255, D395, D477 and P534.

“After failing to get a response, we took it upon ourselves for the second time to patch all potholes, especially on the R66. As a local municipality, we do not have the budget for road repairs.”

Commenting on the recent roadworks, Biyela said the DoT has embarked on repairs, but the project started on the side where there was no damage.

“We urge the department to consolidate its road repair programmes for all roads belonging to them because the unnecessary delays might lead to loss of lives,” he said.

Attempts to obtain comment from transport and human settlement spokesperson Ndabezinhle Sibiya were unsuccessful.