MAHIKENG MAIL – MAHIKENG: Concerned by years of public criticism from residents under the Mahikeng Local Municipality complaining bitterly about the poor status of local roads, the Mayor of the city, Councillor Tshepiso Mphehlo, has again displayed his intent to stop the labelling of his city as the “Capital of Potholes”.
Mahikeng has for several years suffered wide-spread attacks from the general public who accused the management of the Mahikeng Local Municipality of deliberately neglecting the city, leaving it to drown in the many potholes in local streets in the area. They also expressed concern about poor service delivery - among others problems.
A large number of streets in the city were ridden with large potholes, forcing vehicle owners (both private and taxi operators) to challenge the municipality, which prompted Cllr Mphehlo to “take the fight to his critics” and embark on a wide spread campaign to tackle the worrisome status of the roads.
Although the status quo still remains the same in a number of streets in different areas of Mmabatho, Mphehlo has since succeeded in addressing the problem in most residential areas and nearby villages as well as in Mahikeng town including Golf View, Riviera Park and Libertas. Road paving in several villages is ongoing.
While the road upgrading process has been ongoing, a new development took off last Friday when officials responsible for the process of road infrastructure development representing both national and the provincial administrations ,embarked on a fact-finding mission in the city to check the process of the improvement of roads in Mahikeng. Leading the groups was the Minister of Transport, Barbara Creecy and MEC for Public Works and Roads, Elizabeth Sempe Mokua, accompanied by their teams of senior government and Mahikeng Local Municipality officials. They were accompanied by Cllr Mphehlo, who proudly showed off progress in the city where several road developments projects had been completed.
The visit was also meant to hand over completed road infrastructure projects including the road paving project leading to the Kgora Farmer Training Centre and evaluation of those still in progress.
The three leaders also implemented the famous Operation Vala Zonke programme in Martin Street which involved the significant repairs of part of the road. They rounded of the day by unveiling the recently procured Yellow fFeet programme valued at R100 million which will be key to preventative and routine maintenance of roads, especially rural and farming routes.
