Address by the Premier of Limpopo, Ambassador Chupu Mathabatha on the occasion of the sod turning ceremony marking the construction of D4109 Road
Programme Director;
Mong-mabu, Kgošigadi Mphahlele;
MEC for Public Works, Roads and Infrastructure, Ambassador Jerry Ndou;
Mayor for Lepelle-Nkumpi Local Municipality, Cllr Ivy Paahla: All Councillors present;
Members of the media; Ladies and gentlemen:
Thank you very much MEC Jerry Ndou, for your generous introduction.
I must also say that you have indeed adequately explained the purpose of today’s ceremony; which is the SOD turning to mark the construction of the D4109 road.
We have come to the land of Kgoshigadi, and to the people f Ga-Mphahlele to share with them the fruits of our hard-earned democracy.
Democracy is indeed about taking services to the people. Democracy is about building schools, building clinics, building roads such as this one; so-forth-and-so-on. When some people say that this democracy does not work for them, is simply because they are undermining their God-given ability to see. Everywhere you go in this province, you will see democracy in action; you will see our people harvesting fruits from the tree of democracy.
We have build RDP houses, we have electrified households, we have provided clean drinking water, and we are providing our children with quality and accessible education. I am saying this because there are those who conveniently lose their sight, and can no longer see, simply because it is an election season.
Suddenly, these people can no longer see all these good things that the ANC government is doing.
Programme Director;
Road infrastructure continues to play a significant role in the economy of the province and the country as a whole.
It is for this reason that this ANC government has over the past five years focused more on the rehabilitation and maintenance of aging road infrastructure, including those that connect our villages.
In the past few years, we have set aside billions of resources to roll out major road infrastructure projects across the province.
Part of the work that we do in this regard, include construction of bridges, upgrading of gravel roads to tar and the rehabilitation of old tarred roads.
I must say that we are indeed making lot of progress across the province.
As the ANC government, we have come to this area of Marulaneng, under the leadership of Kgoshigadi Mphahlele to make good on the commitment that we made not-so-long ago to construct a road in this area.
Perhaps I should take this opportunity to commend the traditional leadership in this area and all our Councillors for the selfless efforts that made it easier for this project to kick off the ground.
I am confident that as we begin with this project, we will enjoy a similar type of support and partnership. This is important to ensure that this project is concluded on time in line with the agreed schedule.
I am confident that we will all agree that the construction of this road comes as a huge relief to the people of Ga-Mphahlele as a whole. The completion of this project will indeed come with exceptional benefits to the motorists, pedestrians and all road users in this area.
It will definitely make the lives of our people in this area a lot easier. This project will also go a long way towards boosting the development of the local economy. The local taxi industry will also harvest some benefits upon the completion of this project. Even the need to service their kombis will be less frequent.
Our approach is to build this type of infrastructure not only in the cities, but everywhere, be it in the cities, township or a rural area like this one. We want to make sure that our people enjoy the fruits of this democracy because you are the ones who have voted for this democratic government.
President Jacob Zuma himself said that “Ours is to create an infrastructure that makes life easy everywhere, not just in the big cities”. This is exactly what we are doing. Everything we do in this government is to make sure that our freedom and democracy is more meaningful to all our people, including those in rural areas.
Programme Director;
The completion of this road will definitely lessen accidents on this road. More importantly it will reduce the travel time. This means that our people will spend more time in their homes with their loved ones, as opposed to spending hours and hours on the road.
I can say, without any fear of contradiction, that everyone in this area has a reason to celebrate the construction of this road. The construction of this road is part of the good story we continue to tell.
Today is indeed better than yesterday, and tomorrow will surely be better than today. But before I can conclude, I want to make an appeal to the people of this area to take care of this road.
We have seen in other areas where people dig holes on the roads and burn tyres on the roads simply because they are unhappy with this and that.
For me that type of behaviour is like cutting your own nose just to spite your face. It is a self-defeating exercise.
I am saying this because, government does not have unlimited resources. If you destroy this road tomorrow, it would probably take you years to have this road rehabilitated because the demand for roads is not only in this area.
We simply have to find acceptable ways of expressing our concerns without resorting to the destruction of public assets such as roads, clinics, libraries and schools. These are our collective assets; we need to take care of them.
Lastly, I wish to urge all the stakeholders to cooperate with one another to ensure that this project is not delayed unnecessarily. Everyone from the Traditional leadership, Councillors, Project Steering Committee must play their role to ensure that the Constructer is well supported and does the job according to agreed standards.
I am saying it now, and I want everyone to know that as government we will not accept any sub-standard job on this road. Every little accept of the specification must be adhered to and be satisfied.
In case of any need for deviation, the Service Level Agreement must be consulted and be adhered to. The days of Bermuda roads in this province are over.
I will not be done if I can’t remind motorists that a tarred road is not in any way a licence to speed. Once this road is completed, we will still expect you to observe all the rules of the road, including the speed limit.
We have lost so many people on our roads, and we simply cannot afford to continue in this fashion. This road is constructed to be a friend that makes life easier and convenient, not a death trap.
Programme Director; Let me take this opportunity and officially declare construction on this to have commenced.
I thank you!
