MEC Mamabolo conducts unannounced visits on Roads and Transport projects in the Vaal
Gauteng MEC for Roads and Transport, Mr Jacob Mamabolo, today, 03 July 2019, conducted unannounced visits to a number of struggling departmental projects in the Vaal area, South Development Corridor.
Mamabolo convened meetings with the leadership of the Sedibeng District Municipality where he was briefed on roads and public transport-related challenges that are dogging the area.
Following on the call for an activist government by Premier David Makhura in the State of the Province Address (SOPA), MEC Mamabolo visited the Ipelegeng Transport bus depot, the biggest people mover in the Vaal, where he was briefed by management on the problems that are afflicting the company.
“The biggest challenge for the bus company is the quality of roads. They told me that they incur massive costs due to damage that potholes cause to their vehicles. We will, this month, unveil a campaign to close potholes in the area and this will go a long way in addressing some of the challenges facing the bus company and others,” MEC Mamabolo remarked.
Mamabolo also conducted site visits at the Sebokeng Driving Licence Testing Centres (DLTC). The project which is still under construction has been stopped for months and has been exposed to vandalism and theft after the contractor was terminated from site. Mamabolo has committed to urgently engage with the implementing department so that construction can be completed without further wastage of public funds.
The site visits also included an inspection of the newly built Bophelong taxi rank which is not being used due to design issues. The building has also been vandalised. Construction at another taxi rank, still under construction in Vereeniging, has also come to a halt due to problems with the design and poor contractor performance.
“What I have witnessed here really assists us as a department to know exactly where to intervene. We will announce a comprehensive programme to assess the conditions of taxi ranks across the province. This will help us understand the extent of the problem so that we do not intervene in a piecemeal fashion,” said Mamabolo.
The Department of Roads and Transport is part of Gauteng Provincial Government departments that are intervening in the Sedibeng District Municipality, which faces cash flow challenges.
Enquiries:
Theo Nkonki
Cell: 082 719 640
