The Garden Route – a crucial 300km stretch of the N2 that has become a world-famous road trip destination – has become a battleground for the Democratic Alliance (DA) and Freedom Front Plus (FF+) in the Western Cape.
The road stretches from Mossel Bay in the Western Cape to Storms River in the Eastern Cape, and has historically been maintained by the Garden Route District Municipality.
However, the Western Cape Government announced in March 2025 that the road function fulfilled by the Garden Route District Municipality would be transferred to the province.
According to the FF+, the initial agreement was due to expire at the end of March 2026, giving the Western Cape Infrastructure Department twelve months to prepare.
On 1 July, the province’s Infrastructure Minister, Tertuis Simmers, announced the commencement of the new agreement, lauding it as an “important milestone” for the Western Cape under its new Provincial Roads Delivery Model.
During the announcement, the minister assured affected municipal workers that the transfer would not affect their job status.
“The department remains fully committed to concluding the employment transition through the section 197 process in a manner that is lawful, fair and respectful of every employee,” he said.
Engagements on the remaining outstanding matters have commenced with the department’s recognised labour partners.
“Throughout these engagements, our objective remains to provide continuity, stability and certainty for employees as quickly as possible,” Simmers said.
“Unfortunately, conflicting information has circulated in some areas. I therefore encourage every affected employee to rely only on official communication issued by the Department of Infrastructure and through the recognised engagement processes with the unions.”
He encouraged workers not to allow rumours or unofficial messages to create unnecessary fear or uncertainty.
The minister looked to reassure residents and road users that the department is committed to keeping the province’s roads safe, open, and reliable.
“We are committed to ensuring that this transition strengthens, not disrupts, the delivery of services that communities depend on every day,” he concluded.
Impacting local municipalities
Following Minister Simmers’ announcement, the FF+ has declared that his statement does not accurately reflect the facts, noting that he glossed over the impact it will have on Garden Route residents.
“The department had twelve months to prepare, consult with staff and plan for a smooth takeover,” the party said in a statement.
“However, based on information tabled to the District Municipality’s Council, progress was slow, and despite several reminders from the District Municipality, the foot-dragging continued.”
According to the FF+, meetings were convened, and the department was repeatedly requested to finalise the process.
However, negotiations with staff reportedly only began shortly before the contract was about to expire, while several deadlines were missed, and the Department refused to engage meaningfully or take action.
As a result, the agreement had to be extended by three months, and later by another month, as the council was forced to rescind the resolution it adopted on 3 July for a new, lawful agreement to be concluded.
“The Freedom Front Plus wishes to emphasise that the correct process was not meticulously followed,” the party declared.
“In the meantime, uncertainty among staff hampered service delivery as they did not work at all for three whole weeks.”
It added that the public’s expectations that roads ought to be maintained and taxpayers’ money ought to be wisely spent are justified, and that they should not have to bear the brunt of poor planning.
According to the FF+, the Infrastructure Department is also unwilling to take on all of the District Municipality’s road employees.
This would leave the municipality with up to R40 million in unfunded personnel costs, and seriously affect its sustainability.
In April, the FF+ proposed extending the contract by another twelve months with an option to terminate early should the department be ready to take over road functions, which was rejected.
It has also previously requested an independent probe into the handling of the process, and reported the matter to the Western Cape Premier, Alan Winde.
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