The Free State Department of Roads acknowledged in its briefing of the Infrastructure Portfolio Committee that R30 billion and R15 billion are needed to repair tarred and gravel roads in the province, respectively.
This staggering amount is equivalent to the total budget of the Free State government for the new financial year.
In April 2023, the Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) had revealed that the province would have needed R28 billion to fully repair tarred roads in the province.
For years, the largest portion of the provincial budget has been allocated to social departments, such as Health and Education, while road infrastructure has been neglected.
The province has transferred the responsibility of fixing eighteen roads to the South African National Roads Agency (SANRAL).
The Department also indicated in its report that processes are currently underway to secure national disaster management funds for repairing flood-damaged roads in the province.
In April this year, the Freedom Front Plus asked the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) to declare gravel roads in the province a disaster to expedite this process. However, it appears that there is no political will to do so.
The condition of Free State roads will continue to worsen as long as the ANC remains in power with its failed policies of Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) and Affirmative Action (AA).
The numerous stalled and failed road projects in the Free State clearly demonstrate that contractors should from now on be appointed based on merit, regardless of skin colour.
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