Sabie residents call out mayor over broken road repair promise

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14-04-2026
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Mpumalanga News
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Sabie residents have condemned the mayor’s broken promises, warning that crumbling infrastructure is crippling the town’s tourism-driven economy and leaving the community feeling ignored.

Sabie residents are deeply frustrated by the deteriorating state of their roads.

They are still faced with unusable roads, despite the assurance of Thaba Chweu Local Municipality’s (TCLM) executive mayor, Cllr Friddah Nkadimeng, that repairs would be completed by the end of March.

The community is gatvol with what they describe as empty promises.

Resident Piet Potgieter recalled the mayor’s televised undertaking that teams were finishing work in the Graskop area before moving to Sabie.

“She made it very clear to us and the nation that they would attend to our roads, which are currently in such bad condition they are impossible to drive on. For years, in a town that was once a beautiful tourism destination, we have been begging the local and provincial governments to fix our roads, but everything has fallen on deaf ears,” he said.

Meanwhile, Tebello Makofane said he had been sceptical all along, as it was not the first time Nkadimeng had failed to deliver.

“We haven’t had a mayoral imbizo in our area since she was elected. The road infrastructure has deteriorated to the core; some sections are beyond repair and need to be completely rebuilt. But with elections approaching, they will likely patch a few holes to secure votes and disappear afterward,” he added.

Ethan Naidoo echoed these sentiments, pleading for Sabie’s infrastructure to be prioritised.

“The mayor made a promise. She must keep it and repair the roads because that is what is expected of the municipality. While this town depends on tourism for its economy, permanent residents also deserve better roads,” he said.

TCLM spokesperson Ezrom Sekgobela was unavailable for comment at the time of publication.