Limpopo Province needs US$660 Million for Road Construction
The South African roads sector has been facing many funding and skills challenges resulting from an infrastructure backlog amounting to almost US$ 662 Million.
Transport Minister Dipuo Peters recently highlighted the need for the department to bring in people from outside South Africa to assist across the country, as they were experiencing a shortage of skills in many sectors.
Previously called Northern Transvaal, Limpopo is the poorest of South Africa’s provinces. Bordering Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique, it is known for it’s bushveld and wildlife game reserves, including the famous Kruger National Park. West of the Kruger are the craggy Blouberg mountains and Makgabeng Plateau, and the fossil-rich caves of Makapansgat have kept a natural, historical record dating back to early hominids.
The three main industries include agriculture, mining and tourism, all of which are severely impacted by the poor transport infrastructure.
“In Limpopo Province, there is desperate need for road construction funding for road construction.” According to Roads Agency Limpopo Chief Executive Officer – Maselaganye Matji. The funding for the construction backlog is estimated at around US$540 Million with actual implementation of the projects spread out over a five to ten year period.
The Road Agency Limpopo is responsible for the Province’s 20‚260 km road inventory of which 5‚928 km of the are all weather tarred roads, while the remaining 4‚334 km are gravel roads.
