ANC loots electricity for its birthday celebrations – mayor of Kgatelopele must pay up
| by Harold McGluwa – DA Northern Cape Provincial Spokesperson of Roads and Public Works |
| Error! Filename not specified. |
| Date: 07 November 2019 |
| Release: Immediate |
| Poor road conditions and the absence of road signs are increasingly costing the Northern Cape government dearly.The Department of Roads and Public Works is currently facing pothole claims totalling R54,403 million. Claims totalling more than R1,477 million were incurred in 2018/2019 alone.While legal claims against the Department of Roads and Public Works are nothing new in the province of potholes, it is increasingly unacceptable that this department, year after year, fails to attend to something as simple as ensuring that pothole warning signs are erected. Especially as the high number of pothole claims relate directly to a lack of signage.The department must be held accountable for failing in their basic duty to ultimately help make our roads safer and more user friendly. Afterall, an amount of R54 million could have gone a long way towards patching potholes on our provincial roads but now it will be used to patch damaged motor-vehicles instead. No wonder the condition of the provincial road network on surfaced roads is declining.The Democratic Alliance (DA) has noted a commitment by MEC Abraham Vosloo to achieve a reduction in the number of contingent liabilities facing this department, particularly claims relating to the lack of maintenance of road infrastructure. This cannot come to soon.The DA will continue monitoring pothole related legal claims against the department and exerting pressure on them to put relevant signage in place as a matter of urgency.Government has no money to waste on compensation for the department’s failures. Every cent must serve to improve service delivery and grow the economy, which is largely reliant on our road network. |
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