MOTORING NEWS - TLU SA is concerned about the condition of the country’s roads. It already has and will only have a greater impact on the economy, and more importantly, it is no longer safe on the roads.
There are several factors that play a role and TLU SA realises heavy rain in recent weeks and the accompanying floods have damaged roads, but the fact is that many roads were already in a poor state before the heavy rains and floods.
Here, both dirt and gravel roads are referred to as roads that need urgent attention, because due to the lack of regular maintenance, the condition of the roads are now so bad that it needs to be rebuilt. We are past the stage where maintenance is still a possible solution.
“In Limpopo, we recently had to sacrifice a leader farmer and food producer to death due to the dire and dangerous condition of the R522 between Vivo and Louis Trichardt. Mr. Gillie Fick was well-known in the cattle farming industry and tragically died on Friday due to a pothole in a road littered with potholes. Mr. Gert Fourie also recently died in a car accident on the same road. There are often serious accidents on the road with too many deaths,” said Mr. Drickus Botha, TLU SA Regional Manager: North.
“In Limpopo, the Agricultural Union and its structures had regular discussions with the Department of Public Works - on behalf of the previous MEC. However, the Department unilaterally suspended these productive and regular discussions.”
Everywhere in South Africa, farmers hear the same story: There is no money, no manpower and no machinery. However, there is a large part of the fuel price - which rises almost every month - for the maintenance of roads. What happens to that money?
“Recently, R5000 was given to each taxi driver to compensate for losses they suffered due to the condition of the roads. Farmers suffer even more damage to their vehicles and products that must reach the markets to feed the people. There are even transport contractors who refuse to use these specific roads due to the condition of roads while other contractors increase their tariffs if they must make deliveries or transport food to farmers - to whom access can only be obtained on the neglected roads, Botha explains.
“Farming input costs are already very high, and this is even before today's fuel price increase is taken into account. We simply cannot afford another onslaught - like the national road conditions - in our effort to provide quality food to the people at affordable prices. The government must now come to the table and at all levels pay attention to the deterioration of our roads, because it is already a crisis," Botha emphasised.
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