Pappas laments state of KZN’s roads

UMNGENI Municipality Mayor Chris Pappas has blasted the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport for its failure to manage provincial roads.

- THAMI MAGUBANE

In a statement posted on social media, Pappas said the department is a threat to the growth of the provincial economy. Pappas's frustration comes as the mayor recently wrote to the MEC of Economic Development, Musa Zondi, highlighting the issue.

Pappas said KwaZulu-Natal’s economy is finally showing early signs of recovery. Construction jobs are returning, the agricultural sector recorded welcome growth in the last quarter, and investor confidence is tentatively reemerging across several regions.

“Yet this recovery is under serious threat from the ongoing failure of the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport to maintain the road network that underpins every aspect of provincial economic activity," he said.

Pappas stated that the Department of Transport’s core mandate is to manage and upgrade KwaZulu-Natal’s critical economic and social transport infrastructure; however, the department has significantly fallen short. Roads are collapsing, maintenance is inconsistent or nonexistent, and major capital projects are either stalled, years behind schedule, or on the brink of failure, he said.