Will Dresden road ever be completed?

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20-02-2026
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Lowvelder
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The contractor was first introduced in July 2024, but after more than 18 months, the road is still far from complete.

“There is no crisis regarding the Dresden access road project. We can assure the people of Fetakgomo Tubatse, especially those in Dresden,that the project will be completed, and that sufficient funds remain for the outstanding work.”

These were the words of the Fetakgomo Tubatse Local Municipality’s (FTLM) mayor, Eddie Maila, when he visited the Dresden access road project in July 2025.

Seven months later, the road remains incomplete and the contractors have since vacated site.

During the July 2025 visit, Maila dismissed social media speculation that the project had stalled and that the contractor was overpaid.

“The allegations circulating on social media are not a true reflection of what is happening on the ground,” he said. “I came here to see for myself, and my assurance to local communities is that the project will be completed. Under this administration, we have no history of paying contractors who are behind schedule. If a contractor is behind, expenditure will be aligned with actual progress.”

Since that visit, political parties such as the DA and the Defenders of the People have been vocal about the Dresden situation, questioning the FTLM’s failure to complete the road.

Both parties sympathised with the residents and demanded accountability from the FTLM.

“Service delivery in Fetakgomo Tubatse has stalled and projects are yet to be finished while the expenditure is at 100%. The Dresden access road cost is R34m. The project expenditure is 100% and the project is only at 72% physical progress,” said the DA’s Tumelo Molapo.

The contractor was first introduced in July 2024, but after more than 18 months, the road is still far from complete.

When Maila announced the project, he said the 2.6km stretch of asphalt road would be constructed over a period of 10 months.

The community welcomed the construction, having faced particular difficulties during the rainy season.

Some villagers now claim they are trapped in their yards by the incomplete road, while others say they are forced to travel longer distances to access their homes. Residents accuse the municipality of not caring about them.

“The contractor is currently not on site, we doubt this road will be completed,” said one Dresden resident. “Imagine a big institution failing to complete a small road like this one; its been almost two years. Some people are sleeping on duty.”

This publication forwarded queries about the project’s progress to the FTLM’s communications manager, Mahlako Komane, who was yet to respond at the time of going to press.

Another major municipal project that has stalled is the Praktiseer Public Library. Initially tendered at R16m, the DA reports that the project is fully paid for, with an estimated completion date of July 2023, yet it remains unfinished and appears abandoned.

A 5.5km access road and bridge at Ga-Tebeila, launched in 2023, also remain incomplete.

Several electricity projects, including Phiring, Taung Mandela East, Ga-Selepe, Ga-Nkoana, Ga-Moraba, Magabe Park and Majaditshukudu, have yet to be energised, while more than 30 high-mast “Apollo” lights in villages surrounding the FTLM are still non-operational, having never worked since their installation in 2016.