Upgrades nothing to get too excited about

Tags

---

29-09-2025
Read : 31 times
Limpopo Mirror
Source

The Limpopo Department of Public Works, Roads and Infrastructure (DPWRI) announced phase 1 of its preventative provincial road maintenance plan covering 22 roads across the province last week. This initiative marks phase 1 of the 69 road infrastructure projects scheduled for implementation by Roads Agency Limpopo (RAL) during the 2025/26 financial year. Observers were, however, quick to point out that this is nothing to get too excited about, as it does not mean the 22 roads will be fully upgraded. It only means that small sections of these roads will receive attention.

The list of roads earmarked for preventative road maintenance in the Vhembe District includes the now extremely hazardous R522 between Louis Trichardt and Vivo; the D4 between the N1 and Elim, as well as the D4 from Vuwani to Elim; the D3715 from Madombidzha to Sinthumule; the D3695 from Siloam to Ha Khakhu; and the D1021 from Mopane to Nzhelele Nature Reserve.

Beginning of targeted revamp

Announced as a key deliverable in Limpopo Public Works MEC Ernest Rachoene’s budget vote speech, the department said the initiative signalled the beginning of a targeted, province-wide campaign to revamp Limpopo’s road infrastructure, support local economies, and improve quality of life for countless communities. “This rollout will be more than a promise kept, it is a practical demonstration of the commitment to service delivery, connectivity and job creation across all corners of Limpopo,” the department stated.

“This marks a decisive step in delivering on our mandate to maintain and extend the lifespan of Limpopo’s road network that supports social and economic development in the province, it brings roads back to life and also injects optimism into communities that have long yearned for real, visible progress,” said Rachoene when announcing the plan on 18 September.

Although pleased that the Limpopo DPWRI will finally be giving more attention to the province’s roads, among those who warned that motorists should not get too happy was Marie Helm, Democratic Alliance spokesperson on Public Works, Roads and Infrastructure in the provincial legislature.

Do not get too excited

“The DA welcomes the announcement that the department will finally be giving attention to tarred roads after identifying 22 roads for preventative maintenance. It must, however, be emphasised that the announcement does not state that contractors will be fully repairing each road. The department has previously made it clear that only between 3 and 5 kilometres of each road will be repaired, as the roads will be restored in phases,” Helm told the newspaper on Monday.

Helm explained that with the next budget, the following phase of a road will then likely be repaired. “There is therefore no guarantee that the mentioned roads will be fully repaired in the near future,” said Helm.

Rachoene’s announcement comes amidst growing public concern about the Limpopo DPWRI’s and RAL’s performance records. Helm highlighted these concerns in a media statement on Tuesday. She said that the Limpopo DPWRI’s first-quarter performance report showed that both the department and RAL, the department’s implementation arm, were underperforming.

“RAL’s scope of work has been considerably reduced to exclude road maintenance and only focus on upgrading provincial roads from gravel to tar. Their budget has been severely cut, while the compensation of employees will increase substantially, leaving even less money to provide service to the people of Limpopo,” said Helm.

More money for salaries, less for projects

Helm went on to explain that RAL’s total budget was slashed to R958.617 million in the 2025/26 year from R2.8 billion in the previous year. More concerning, she said, was that the budget for compensation of employees in 2024/25 was R129.862 million and had increased in 2025/26 to R145.417 million, and would increase to R162.784 million in 2026/27. According to Helm, the implications of this budget reallocation would be severe, and would most certainly impact the quality and development of critical road networks.

“The performance of Limpopo DPWRI has also been poor. The budget of the administration increased sharply from R458.878 million in 2024/25 to R638.852 million in 2025/26, while the budget for the critical programmes within the department hardly increased,” Helm said.

Poor spending

Helm said that road infrastructure spending stood at a shocking 15%, considerably lower than the 25% target for the first quarter, and highlighted poor planning within the department. At this current pace of spending, she said, the department risked not spending its full budget, which would most probably result in a significant amount of funds being returned. This would mean more potholes and unmaintained road infrastructure, making roads even less safe for motorists and increasing the risk of litigation against the department.

“The poor management and the incompetence of the department may result in the loss of the Provincial Road Maintenance Grant funds, where only R137 million of R2.06 billion (7%) was spent. This suggests that critical road maintenance projects are not being executed,” said Helm.

Helm stated that the department had failed to meet its targets with regards to road rehabilitation and road resurfacing largely due to project delays and preventative maintenance delays respectively. A good example of this is the R522 project, which has now ground to a complete halt. “These reasons for underperformance are unacceptable and highlight the extent of mismanagement in both the department and the RAL,” said Helm.