The Department of Transport (DoT) and its smaller subdivisions have abandoned at least 10 road maintenance and upgrade projects over the last eight years.
This was revealed in a recent document titled Confronting the Challenges facing the timely Delivery of viable Public Infrastructure Projects to Communities, which was shared by new transport minister Barbara Creecy at the Ministerial Briefing Session on Public Infrastructure.
South Africa’s nine provinces have 565 road refurbishment, maintenance, and upgrade projects planned over the coming years with an approved budget of R16.7 billion for the 2024/25 period, and an estimated budget of R17.9 billion and R17.3 billion for the 2025/26 and 2026/27 periods, respectively.
Key challenges faced thus during the implementation of the infrastructure programme comprise:
- Theft and vandalism
- Global supply chain disruptions
- Industry lacking capacity to deliver very large fast-tracked programmes
- Disruptions by so-called “business forums”, also known as “Construction Mafias”
To mitigate the impacts of these hindrances, the DoT has implemented several interventions to varying degrees of success.
The first is the development of an integrated security strategy that involves the deployment of protection service personnel on construction sites and the use of seismic detection and drones to assist these individuals in catching intruders.
Additionally, more robust stakeholder management processes have been put in place, which include deeper consultation with local communities, government, commuter forums, and businesses.
The DoT has also started to proactively engage with the contractors and suppliers to assess their capacity and capabilities on a regular basis to pre-empt implementation risks. In certain instances, meetings with appointed contractors are held on a weekly basis to assess progress and risks.
Overseas-based suppliers are visited regularly to ensure that locally-bound components are prioritised and that the quality of materials meets the minimum specifications.
These strategies have resulted in a significant reduction in the number of theft and vandalism incidences, and have mitigated other potential disruptions to ongoing operations, said the DoT.
The national entity also called on provincial traffic departments to support it through leadership reform where necessary to reinforce governance structures, and to develop oversight mechanisms for project monitoring.
Incomplete, abandoned, and delayed road projects in South Africa
The tables below show the incomplete, abandoned, and delayed road projects in South Africa for six of the nine provinces.
Of the 20 ongoing initiatives, exactly 50% have been classified as “abandoned” comprising one in Gauteng, two in Mpumalanga, three in Limpopo, and four in the Free State.
A further two are earmarked as “abandoned but under construction”, while four others are labelled “delayed but under construction.”
The remaining four have simply been marked as “delayed.”
The report noted that inputs received from Gauteng and North West do not provide sufficient information to be included.
Additionally, the DoT is still awaiting feedback from the Northern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal authorities on the status of their ongoing projects, and these provinces were therefore not included.
Gauteng
| Project | Start date | Expected end date | Project status | Reason for status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upgrading of K54 from Zambezi to N4 | 2018 | Originally April 2022, new date undetermined | Abandoned | Encroachment by informal dwellers |
| Upgrading of K69 from Old Vista University in Mamelodi | 2018 | Originally April 2022, new date undetermined | Delayed but under construction | Poor planning |
Western Cape
| Project | Start date | Expected end date | Project status | Reason for status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Preventative maintenance on R102 George | February 2021 | March 2025 | Abandoned but under construction | Poor performance resulting in contract termination |
Free State
| Project | Start date | Expected end date | Project status | Reason for status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rehabilitation of R26 from Reitz to Tweeling | April 2020 | Originally 2022/23 financial year, new date undetermined | Abandoned | Poor performance resulting in contract termination |
| Special Maintenance on R76 between Kroonstad and Steynsrust | August 2019 | TBD | Abandoned | Poor performance resulting in contract termination |
| Special Maintenance on R702 between Weppenaar and Bloemfontein | December 2019 | 2025/26 financial year | Abandoned | Poor performance resulting in contract termination |
| Special Maintenance on R709 between Tweespruit and Excelsior | June 2023 | June 2025 | Abandoned | Poor performance resulting in contract termination |
Eastern Cape
| Project | Start date | Expected end date | Project status | Reason for status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rehabilitation and reseal of DR08048, Butterworth to Centane | March 2021 | Originally April 2022, new date undetermined | Abandoned but under construction | Poor performance resulting in contract termination |
| Construction of Mtentu Bridge | March 2017 | March 2025 | Delayed but under construction | Main contractor terminated due to demands from the Construction Mafia |
| Construction of Msikaba Bridge | March 2019 | March 2025 | Delayed but under construction | Project suffered delays due to unavailability of cables in local market |
| Upgrading of Road T125 between N2 and Siphethu Hospital | December 2019 | June 2025 | Delayed | Delayed due to extortion of R20 million by Construction Mafias |
Limpopo
| Project | Start date | Expected end date | Project status | Reason for status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upgrade of R573 between Siyabuswa and Marble Hall | August 2016 | End of 2025 | Delayed but under construction | Contractor abandoned site in January 2019 due to insolvency |
| Upgrading of roads Koedoeskop to Northam to Dwaalboom at Thabazimbi under Waterberg | October 2016 | Originally November 2021, new date undetermined | Abandoned | Poor performance resulting in contract termination |
| Upgrading Mavhunga access road in Makhado Municipality under the Vhembe district | May 2023 | TBD | Abandoned | Poor performance resulting in contract termination |
| Upgrading of R37 to intersection with D4180 & D4220 & R37 to end in Fetakgomo Greater Tubatse under Sekhukhune | October 2016 | Originally November 2021, new date undetermined | Abandoned | Poor performance resulting in contract termination |
Mpumalanga
| Project | Start date | Expected end date | Project status | Reason for status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upgrading of 11.5km of road D935 | November 2020 | Originally November 2022, new date undetermined | Abandoned | Poor performance resulting in contract termination |
| Rehabilitation of P182/1 Phase 2 from R35 to Hendrina | July 2020 | Originally July 2022, new date undetermined | Abandoned | Poor performance resulting in contract termination |
| Upgrading of Road D4382 between Belfast and Justice in Bushbuck Ridge | January 2024 | January 2026 | Delayed | Extortion of construction material by Construction Mafias |
| Rehabilitation of P8/1 from R36 at Bambi to Lydenburg | March 2022 | December 2024 | Delayed | Extortion by Construction Mafias |
| Rehabilitation of D3930 from Acornhoek to Hlubukwane | July 2019 | Originally November 2022, new date undetermined | Delayed | Community unrest |
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