Farmers come to the rescue as closed road kills their town

In the Karoo town of Middelburg, the main access road has been closed on and off for more than a year, forcing frustrated locals to act.

- By Riaan Marais

The community of Middelburg, Eastern Cape, have had to put up with a yearlong battle to have one of their arterial routes into the town reopened. It finally came to a head in July when farmers took it upon themselves to make the road at least useable.

Their action brought life back to some of the struggling businesses in the Karoo town. It also threw a spotlight on an abandoned R75-million project to construct an integrated traffic control centre (ITCC) with a weighbridge at the intersection where Meintjies Street links to the N9. This would ensure better control of heavy freight trucks travelling through the town.

Meintjies Street runs through Middelburg. It is where the R56 national route begins and is one of the main routes into the town when entering from the north or east.

The Eastern Cape Department of Transport is at a crossroads: it needs additional funds and resources for minor roadworks to maintain what is now a stretch of dirt road, while the future of the beleaguered traffic centre project hangs in the balance.

Although work on temporary maintenance was set to begin this week, teams on the ground have indicated that they do not have the capacity for a long-term solution and will in all likelihood close this entrance to Middelburg again later this month.

The saga began early in 2024 when plans were set in motion to construct the traffic control centre. Phase one of the project came with a R75-million price tag.

The northern entrance to Meintjies Street was closed. For many motorists coming from the Northern Cape and Free State, Middelburg was a preferred rest and refuel stop on their way down south. But many started skipping the detour into town, holding out for towns like Graaff-Reinet or Nxuba because of the closed road.