All protocol observed
Our coming here today confirms that as a democratically elected government, we do not just make promises, but we follow up on our commitments.
We acknowledge that it is you, the voting public, who gave our democratically elected government the mandate to use its budgets to devise innovative investment strategies to secure equity and the abolition of poverty.
Today we do the sod turning to mark the beginning of the construction of Ngxongo Local Road which will take about 15 kilometres to the tune of R10,5 million.
Ngxongo road, will serve more than 2 000 homesteads and there is Merton Primary School and Fundokuhle High School in this area as well as Nhlesi Secondary School. The children from the Nhlesi Area and Ngxongo area are travelling through the mountainous forest on a daily basis to get to the primary school
There are a number of senior citizens in the area and they battle when it is time to collect their pension grants, therefore this road will make it possible and easy for these senior citizens to get to Kwa-Kopi to collect their grants.
There is no clinic nearby and in cases of illnesses; people have to be carried on wheelbarrows and wagons for long distances. The construction of this road would provide easy access for mobile clinics and will shorten the distance to get to places like Greytown, Tugela Ferry, Keates Drift and it will be linking Kwa-Kopi, Nhlesi, Mvundlweni, Nogawu areas.
The distance from Nhlesi to Kwa-Kopi will be shortened by approximately 50 kilometers as they will no longer have to go via Tugela Ferry. This road will link the communities of Mchunu Tribal Authority and Mbomvu Tribal Authority.
Vuk'uzakhe Contractors will be utilised for the construction of the road and about 30 locals will be recruited in Zibambele Poverty Alleviation Programme, so that they can perform maintenance on the road.
If our budgets are not reaching grassroots communities and making a real tangible difference in the lives of poor people who are our majority citizens and our majority voters - then we, as government, will have failed in the mandate we have been given by the people of South Africa.
I thank you.
Source: Department of Transport, Community Safety and Liaison, KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government
